Owari No Seraph: The Taming of the Demon
by Nitebreaker
Summary: Yuichiro, home from the wars, decides, on the spur of the moment, to reacquaint himself with a certain demon. The results are...unexpected, to put it mildly. Maybe not canon, but who cares? A bit of rom-com fluff on my part. Rating may change. Read and review! Now complete.
1. Chapter 1

Owari No Seraph: The Taming of the Demon, Chapter 1: Old Friends

…..

 _Okay, people. This is probably a huge mistake on my part, but most things in my life seem to be, so what the hell. I was watching some episodes of "Seraph of the End," and got so depressed, I had to write something to lift my spirits. So here it is. Read and review!_

 _Oh, and I don't own any part of the "Owari No Seraph" franchise, of_ _course._

… _._

Chapter 1: Old Friends

"Captain," General Ansen saluted Yuichiro Hyakuya as he entered the base. Yu saluted back.

"General. It's good to be back." And it was. The wars against the Purifiers had been long, bloody and vicious, and they were by no means over. But Yu's team had located and destroyed several of the Purifiers' underground bases. Yu still shuddered when he remembered what they'd found.

The base was as good as any home he'd ever known. So, yes, good to be back.

"I've arranged for you to have quarters on the northwestern section. It's in a quiet area…I thought that might be to your taste."

Yu bowed. "Thank you, sir. Yes, I could use some…quiet."

 _Flashback: the tortured vampire on the rack, begging. "Please kill me. Please."_ "Yes, sir. Some peace and quiet…would be most welcome." _I just wish I could quiet my mind._

Another man joined them. "Sargent Nobisaki here, will show you to your quarters. Do you have any luggage?"

"No, sir." He'd arrived with one suitcase and a dufflebag. "I tend to travel light."

"Good sense, in these troubled times. Well, I'll see you around, Captain." Again he bowed, a gesture Yu returned.

As they were walking through the hallway towards the northwestern apartments, Yu couldn't help but be impressed by the furnishings. Evidently the base was sufficiently well protected that it could afford to decorate its walls in style. He admired the wall hangings, the tapestries, the encased swords—normal swords, of course, not cursed weapons. "So what are they doing with the cursed weapons these days?" he asked Nobisaki as they walked. Recent improvements in weaponry had made what were once ordinary swords into incredibly effective weapons, without the accompanying baggage of dealing with demons. But the cursed weapons, and contracts with demons, were still required for greatest efficiency and lethality. Yuichiro's own personal weapon, a blade forged from meteoritic iron, was, in many ways, nearly as powerful as his old blade, the sword of Asuramaru.

The sergeant shrugged. "Last I heard, some of them were reserved for new recruits." The Japanese Imperial Demon Army was still recruiting. The recent wars with the Purifiers, as well as remaining elements of the Vampire State, had taken their toll on the troops, and new recruits, replacements for fallen comrades, were always needed. "But some of the more troublesome ones were to be taken to the museum. Probably the best place for them."

"Indeed." He was having to hold back from asking about Mikaela Hyakuya, his childhood friend and, for all intents and purposes, a brother, who'd turned vampire not long after he and Yu had been reunited. Mika had been under the care of Krul Tepes, third progenitor of the vampires, and former vampire queen of Japan. And, younger sister to-*

They turned a corner, and Yu saw something that struck him as odd. "Excuse me, Sergeant, but what is that?" He indicated a low box, almost like a small coffin, over in one corner.

"That? That's the sword of Asuramaru."

Talk about coincidence. "It's in a box?" He saw a padlock on it. "Why isn't it in the armory, or the weapons storage area?"

Nobisaki shifted uncomfortably. "It's because nobody can touch it."

"What? Why?"

The man shrugged. "I don't know, really. All I've heard are rumors. They say anybody tries to touch it, or pick it up, gets, like, instant horrible nightmares flooding their brains. They always end up dropping the sword and passing out. That's even if they try to pick it up with tongs or something. One guy even had to be taken to the infirmary. His heart stopped. They were able to save him, but he said he wasn't about to touch that sword again, orders or no. So they built that box over the sword, mostly so nobody would come along and try to pick it up, not knowing. It's creepy as hell." He shuddered visibly. "You couldn't _pay_ me enough to try."

Yu stopped, looking, his hand on his chin. "Hm. Instant nightmares, huh?" He approached the box, speculatively. "Do you suppose I could try?"

"It's locked, and only the top brass has the key. Besides, why would you want to?"

"Oh, just…curiosity."

…..

Later that night: Yu stole softly through the darkened corridors, approaching the box containing the cursed sword. It proved ridiculously easy to pick the lock, and he opened the lid.

Within lay the sword in its sheath, just like he remembered. He extended his hand…

…and picked the sword up. He waited a moment, expecting the nightmares to start. But they didn't. "Ah. So." He smiled.

Back in his quarters: He placed the sword in an upright stand he had, and drew the magical lines around it, taking care to add the new sigils he'd learned from the elders across the eastern sea. Then he pricked his thumb, dripping one small drop of blood onto the precise spot. _Here we go._

He found himself on the astral plane. Asuramaru was standing on an image of the sword, which appeared to be stuck, point first, into the ground, with his back to Yu, arms crossed in front of him. The demon was perfectly balanced on the tip of the hilt. His dress, like his hair, was blowing in the astral wind. "So," he said, without turning around, "You came back."

"Yes. Yes, I did. How have you been, Asuramaru?"

"Why do you care?"

"I care. How have you been?"

The vampire demon hitched his arms a bit higher, his features turned away from Yu. "I'm fine. Now go."

"I don't think so. Not yet." He looked around at the sky, with its attendant illusory clouds. It hadn't changed. "Like what you've done with the place."

"I could not be less interested in your opinion."

"Why won't you let anyone touch the sword, Asuramaru?"

There was a pause, then the demon half-turned his face and said, "I'm tired of humans. They disgust me: deal breakers, world destroyers. I've no wish to have anything further to do with them. Which is why you should go. I tire of this conversation."

"But you let _me_ touch it. Why?"

"Simply to let you know I want nothing to do with you, or any other human, ever again. Now go. I want to be alone."

"You've been alone a long time, Asuramaru." No reply. "Asuramaru…one reason I'm here. Back when we first met, and I was trying to bond with you…I told you I'd be your friend."

"You lied."

"Yes. Yes, I did. I was only trying to use you, to get power to save my family. I was lying.

"But I'm not lying now. I want to be your friend, Asuramaru. Whether or not you'll be my friend isn't something I have any say-so over…but I will be _your_ friend. And I'm not lying this time."

"Oh, how sweet. Guilty conscience, maybe?" The demon snorted. "Well, just take your little 'friendship' and go. I don't want it or need it. Just go. You disgust me."

"Alright. I'll go…for now. But I'll be back, Asuramaru. I'll be back."

…

The next night: Asuramaru was still standing on the illusory sword, arms crossed, looking up at the sky. "Have you been standing there all this time?"

"What if I have?"

"You know, you're acting awfully angry at me for some reason. Why is that?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe something about a broken promise? A betrayal or two? No, couldn't be that. That's just what humans normally do: betray people. But I get your point: I'm not a people, just a thing, a thing to be used. Well, I've had enough of it. Nobody will ever use me again, ever. Including you."

He tilted his head at him. "But you still allow me to touch the sword. Nobody else can. Why?" But the demon made no reply.

And just then, something occurred to him. "You _can't_ keep me from touching the sword, can you?" No reply. "Hm. Now that's…interesting." He smiled mischievously, rubbing his chin.

 _Very interesting, indeed._

…

Third night: "This is getting tiresome, human. Say what you have to say and go."

Yu sat, cross-legged, on the ground, or rather, the illusion of it. "I really just wanted to know how you've been. It's been a long time since our bonding."

"Not long enough."

"So how _have_ you been? All this time, I mean."

The demon huffed, his dress blowing in the wind. "Fine. Now go."

"You keep telling me to go, but you allow me to touch the sword. So you know I'll return, sooner or later. Don't you?" No reply. He brought up a knee, resting his wrist on it, bracing himself with his other hand, and continued to study the demon. "You know, High Command is considering putting the sword in the museum of cursed weapons. After all, nobody can touch it, so what good is it? I mean, that's the rationale."

"Sounds like something humans would do. Something's no good? Just stuff it in a closet somewhere and forget about it. Perfectly reasonable."

"Do you want that?"

Another pause. "It…wouldn't be the worst existence. I presume there'd be other cursed weapons there, other demons attached to them."

"Right. You wouldn't be alone anymore."

"There you go again. I'm used to being alone."

"Are you?" Again, the demon made no reply. "Asuramaru, when we were bonded, you weren't alone anymore, for the first time in I don't know how long. Even through all the fights we had, you trying to possess my body…I think you kinda liked it. You got used to not being alone."

"Well, you're wrong. I hated every minute of it. I couldn't wait until I possessed your body; even though it was only temporarily. At least I got what I wanted. For a time. Then you got it back…well, I suppose I should have seen that coming. Didn't matter, though, in the long run. But at least I got rid of _you_ for a time.

"Now get out and go. You're beginning to bore me."

 _Okay,_ thought Yu, with an inward smirk, _time to shift gears._

The next night. "Alright, Asuramaru, this time I come bearing gifts."

"Really? You're going to give me your body, your soul? Why do you suppose I even want it anymore?"

"Nothing like that. You said you were bored, so I'm going to bring certain elements of the mortal world here."

 _Now_ Asuramaru turned and stared at him, arms still crossed, angrily. "And I would want that exactly _why?_ "

"You'd have some nice things here. I mean, look at this place. It's too bare. And you've been standing on the end of that sword too long. It can't be good for your feet. Look at you: you don't even wear shoes. Yeah, this place could definitely use some sprucing up. I've got a nice sofa for you, complete with a really soft futon with a silk-screen picture of Krul Tepes on it…"

" _AAAACK_! Why would you even have such a thing?! On second thought, don't tell me!"

"…some ferns…no, wait," he made a pretense of looking around, "they wouldn't live here, that sunlight is an illusion. Okay, plastic ferns. And I've got a nifty e-reader you can have…" This was fun. It was the first time he'd seen any expression on the demon's face besides hostility. Now he was _worried._

"Mortal, sometimes I wonder about your sanity. Are you seriously trying to _buy_ me? To get on my good side—presuming I have one—with _toys?"_

"Why do you presume I'm trying to buy you?"

"I'll tear up anything and everything you send!"

"Then you'll be surrounded by garbage." He shrugged. "Your choice."

The being who'd once been known as Ashura Tepes turned back to his deliberations. "I was right," he muttered, under his breath. "Humans _are_ scarier than demons."

…

Yu collected his stuff the following night. He carefully drew the circle, taking great care to include the binding curse into it, with the modifications he'd read about. He got out the scroll he'd found, the one Command didn't know about, that he'd found in the Purifier base. It had seemed like the genuine article, and he'd wondered why they had it. Well, matter for another time. Okay. Showtime.

Strategy: annoy the hell out of a demon.

The salt circle glowed its usual white glow, the lines extending into the floor. He waited for the transfer to be complete, waited for the artifacts—which were crowding up his room—to become transparent, a sure sign they were being transported into Asuramaru's realm…

…And a surprised looking Asuramaru sprang into existence within the circle. "Mortal…what have you _done?"_

 _To be continued…_


	2. Chapter 2: Adjustments

Owari No Seraph: The Taming of the Demon, Chapter 2: Adjustments

…..

 _Hello, again! Nice to see you back! As usual, I guess I need to point out that I don't own any part of the "Owari No Seraph / Seraph of the End" franchise. Which is just as well, I suppose. So, simply take this as the humble offering of a fan. If I get some things wrong, I'm sorry. Again, this is more comedy than "true to life." (Canonical life, anyway.) Consider this an AU, if it bothers you._

 _Please read and review!_

… _.._

Chapter 2: Adjustments

"Okay, I think I've got it figured out." Yu had read and re-read the scroll, pacing back and forth in the room, with an increasingly angry Asuramaru glaring at him the whole time. "I just had it backwards, is all. Turned it upside down by mistake."

"What! You mean _I'm in the mortal realm now?"_

"Well, yes, but don't worry about it. I'll just send you back the same way I brought you here."

"You'd better!" The demon stamped his feet, practically dancing with irritation. He hugged his arms close to his body. "And why do you keep it so _cold_ in here?" He shivered. "I can practically see icicles forming on the ceiling!"

Yu glanced at Asuramaru absently, noting the sleeveless gown, the exposed back and legs. "I'd be cold, too, if I dressed like that."

"I'll have you know this is the height of fashion among Black Demons! Well," he amended, still shivering, "It was." He glared at Yu. "Haven't you got that spell ready _yet?"_

"Yes, yes, yes, quit your yammering. God, but you're irritating." _If I don't send you back to the astral plane I think I'll go violently insane. Again._ "Okay, here we go." He recited the spell.

Nothing happened. Asuramaru was still standing there, hugging himself, standing first on one foot, then the other, trying to keep his feet from freezing. He glared at Yu. "Well?"

"Hm. It's supposed to've worked." Alarm grew on the demon's face. "Now, don't worry, I'm sure I just mispronounced a word or something. Here. I'll recite it again." Another recitation, another drop of blood…

Again, nothing happened. Asuramaru remained where he was, one foot still rubbing against the other, arms tight around himself. Glaring with hatred and a new emotion: fear. "Well?"

"It's not working."

Asuramaru turned around, still hugging himself, and lifted his face to the ceiling. "Oh, GODS!"

….

"This is EXACTLY why I've always hated mortals! You're always meddling around with forbidden powers and spells! NOW look what you've done!"

"What?! So you're physical now. It's not the end of the world. Well, okay, if you hang around here, it might be, but, but I mean, I'll find a way to reverse the spell! Until then, well, we just make the best of the situation."

"And just how," began Asuramaru, "are we supposed to do that?"

"I'll think of something. You know me; I always do."

"Yes, you always think of ways to screw with people. Saaaay…." An unholy light leaped into the demon's eyes. "Now that I'm physical…I can kill you!" And he leaped at Yu.

The curse chains formed immediately, wrapping themselves around his hands and feet, dragging him back onto the ground, binding him in a spread-eagled position, face up, his arms and legs pulled taut. The chains tightened, and Asuramaru grunted with pain, an unfamiliar sensation.

Yu smiled, bending down on one knee. "Sooo….the curse is still in effect. I thought it might be. Hm. Let me see." He took up the scroll again, reading it. Then he started, looking surprised. He glanced at the pinned Asuramaru and smiled.

On the floor, Asuramaru's face took on a nervous look. "I don't like that gleam in your eyes, human. What foul thing are you contemplating now?" He struggled against the chains, but the more he struggled, the tighter they drew. "So now what?" He was extremely conscious of his conspicuously _vulnerable_ position. "Will you _rape_ me? Ravish my body? Payback for that time I possessed your body and made you attack your friends?"

Yu sat on the edge of the bed. "Nothing like that, Asuramaru. I told you, I'm your friend, and I meant it this time. Friends don't do friends that way. No, what I was smiling about was this clause here, a part of the spell. It looks like an amendment to the curse. I hadn't noticed that before.

"It seems…that you can't cause me any harm. As long as you intend to harm me, those chains will hold tight. But there's more.

"Evidently, you have to do what I say. More or less, I mean. You have to obey me, my every command."

On the floor (the _cold_ floor, he noticed), Asuramaru groaned. "There must be a Hell. Because I'm in it."

….

Yu got up and went to his chest of drawers. He pulled out a pair of sleep pants and went into the bathroom to change. "Are you going to leave me like this?" The demon's voice followed him into the restroom.

"You're leaving yourself like that," he said. He was brushing his teeth in the bathroom. "I don't really have any control over the chains. Just give up trying to harm me, and they'll relax. Otherwise, nighty-night." He came back in and got into bed.

"You _aren't_ serious!"

"Why wouldn't I be? Just calm down, and the chains will go away. Problem solved. But for now, it's late, I'm tired, and I'm going to bed." He got into bed, pulling the covers over him.

"You'll never sleep! I may be chained to the floor, but I can still yell and scream! I'll keep you awake all night lo-*"

"Shut up," said Yu, turning his back on the demon and closing his eyes.

And just like that, Asuramaru's mouth closed up of its own accord. He couldn't make a sound. Instead, he just lay there, bound by the curse chains, on the floor, and glared up at Yu. He struggled; his struggles proved completely futile. This was different than the time he'd experienced it before. These chains showed no sign of weakening…and, in his now physical form, Asuramaru was discovering true _pain_ for the first time. He found he didn't like it one little bit. Still, he struggled and struggled; if he could just get free for just a moment…he remembered how sweet Yu's blood had tasted…

But it was no use. Finally, he just lay there, panting, exhausted both physically and mentally.

 _Alright,_ he said in his mind, _maybe I won't attack the crazy human. Not now, anyway._ The chains clanked as they slid back into the nether dimension from which they sprang. Asuramaru thought there was something reluctant about their disappearance, as though they really didn't want to let him go.

In his bed, Yu heard the chains clanking, and looked around. "Had enough? Oh, right. You can speak. _Softly!_ " he amended.

Asuramaru sat up, rubbing his wrists and ankles. Those chains had _hurt_. "What do you want?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you want power? Wealth? Women? You name it. Anything to be free of this…this…living hell."

Yu sat up on the side of his bed, rolling his eyes and sighing. "I don't want any of those things. I told you, this whole thing was an accident. You saw. I didn't intend to bring you over to this side. And I'll figure out a way to send you back. It can't be impossible; what's done can be undone, somehow. I'll just have to figure out how. Maybe Corwin can tell me something, if I approach him in the right way."

"What do you mean, the right way?"

"We can't just announce that you're here. You'd be in danger."

"What? Why?"

Yu ticked off the points on his fingers. "First, there's the brass. I'm sure they'd want to incarcerate you as a public menace. Which you are, but better here with me than in a confinement cell, surrounded by spells of binding, and surrounded by guards who would be at best, indifferent to you, at worst, actively hostile. I've no doubt but that they'd neutralize any powers you have, and some of the guards just might see an opportunity for some amusement there." Asuramaru paled at that. "And all that would eighty-six any plans to get you home.

"Second, there's always the possibility of you running across somebody you've had previous contact with. Knowing you, it probably wasn't pleasant. And here you are, in the flesh. Some people would take that as a gold-plated invitation to slice you up like cotto salami.

"And third…have you ever heard of the Purifiers?"

"No. Should I have?"

"They're fairly new. They're religious fanatics who think they can achieve salvation or enlightenment or some other damn silly thing by killing every vampire or 'serapher,' as they call them, that they come across. And not always quickly, either." He shuddered slightly, remembering the thing in the tunnel. "And they don't limit themselves to just those two groups. And here you are, an actual _demon._

"We—my battalion—have been fighting them out around the northwest. They're not very skilled, but what they lack in skill, they more than make up for in numbers and ferocity. 'Earth for humans only,' is their battle cry, and they have some pretty narrow definitions of what constitutes a human being. They caught Mika out from the company, and if we hadn't made it there in time…they've no hesitancy to throw their own lives away. Mika's one hell of a fighter, but they were swarming him like army ants. And worse: rumor has it that they've infiltrated the JIDA. How, exactly, and to what degree, we don't know. But Command is on the lookout for any suspicious behavior. And you're nothing _but_ suspicious behavior. So, yeah, good idea to keep you under wraps for now." He noticed Asuramaru still rubbing his wrists. "Need something for that? I've got some liniment."

"I'm fine, human." The demon crossed his arms and looked away, without getting up. "So. Now what? What do we do now?"

"Well, this is the time when humans sleep. So I'm going back to bed. Do you sleep?"

"I…don't know. I never have before."

"Oh, that's right. You were a mental concept; of course, you didn't need to sleep. Well, you're a physical being now, so I guess you'll need to sleep." He got up.

Asuramaru seemed hesitant. "I…don't think I know how."

"Well, first, you get something soft to sleep on. Here. Here's this futon I was gonna give you-*" He pulled out the one with Krul Tepes' picture on it.

Asuramaru turned away, an expression of nausea on his face. "I'd sooner die. And I don't EVER want to know what you were doing with that in your possession."

"Okay, okay, keep your gown on. I've got a spare futon in the closet." He got up and pulled out the rolled up mattress. "Here." He unrolled it on the floor by his bed.

"You expect me to _sleep on the floor?_ "

"There's only one bed in this room, and I'm in it. So, yes." He got back in bed. "Of course, I guess you could just sleep on the bare floor. I wouldn't advise you to try sleeping in that chair," the only chair in his room was an office chair, "but I guess you can try if you want." With that, he rolled over and closed his eyes, leaving one very incensed demon to his own devices. Finally, Asuramaru calmed down. The crazy human had, after all, been right. So he lay down upon the futon. It was actually quite comfortable. Asuramaru waited until he heard Yu's deep breathing, an evil smirk on his face…

 _Yu's dream: he was back at the orphanage. Mika, minus an arm, rose from the ground. "You left us, Yu. We were family, we trusted in you, and you left us-*"_

" _Now, stop that, Asuramaru," said Yu's dreaming self. "I know what you're trying to do."_

 _The image of Mika and the others faded, and Asuramaru's astonished face took their place. "How? How did you know? I thought I had perfected my technique…and that is your strongest fear…"_

" _When it comes to nightmares, you're a one-trick pony, Asuramaru. We've had this same round before, and you lost then. I'm stronger now than I was then. So quit trying. Now, go back to your own body and get some sleep. Tomorrow I have things to do. I've got to come up with a decent cover story for you…"_

"' _Cover story'? I thought you wanted to keep me under these wraps you spoke of."_

" _I can't keep you locked up in here forever. One or both of us will go crazy. Sooner or later, you'll have to go outside. So I have to come up with something that's believable, and at the same time, not quite a lie. That's in case you do get found out. Which is entirely possible."_

 _Asuramaru's dream image smirked. "Cover your own ass, in other words."_

" _Cover both our asses, actually. Now get yours back into your body and go to sleep. That's an order."_

Asuramaru turned back to his futon, and managed to drift off to sleep…

He awoke during the night, feeling something soft in his throat and nose. " _Kaff, kaff!_ " What-?

Yu was kneeling over him, brushing away at his face. "I should'a seen this coming…"

"What…what are you doing…to me, human?"

"It's your hair. You aren't used to it, and I didn't think about it. You should tie it up before you go to bed, otherwise it can get all in your nose and mouth. Here." He got up and went over to the desk. "Here." He fished a girl's golden hairpin out of the drawer. "Pull your hair through this."

"I…how?"

Yu rolled his eyes. "Oh, for the love of God. Here, let me see." He fussed around behind the demon, who tried to watch him from both corners of his eyes. After all, this human was crazy. Who knew what he'd do to him, back there?

"Ow!"

"Oh, quit that. I just gave it a little tug, that's all."

"Don't pull on my hair!"

"I'm not pulling on your hair!"

"Nobody pulls on my hair!"

"Alright, alright! Keep your shir—er, blouse on. There. That should keep it out of your face tonight. Now. I'm going back to sleep. You should be okay, now." And back to bed he went.

"Hey, wait a minute," said Asuramaru. "This is a girl's hairpin."

"Yes." Still turned away from the demon.

"And it's gold."

"Again, yes."

"Solid gold."

"Right."

"How did you get hold of a girl's solid gold hairpin?"

"Never mind."

"C'mon. Tell me."

"It…was a gift."

"A gift? From a girl?"

"Well, yes."

"What was she like?" The demon grinned. "C'mon. You can tell me. I won't tell anybody." _Not tonight, anyway._

"Never mind. Now go to sleep."

Asuramaru retired to his futon, feeling…rather strange.

He found himself looking at that hairpin for a long, long time, and he couldn't, for the life of him, have said why.

 _To be continued…_


	3. Chapter 3: Make Yourself At Home

Owari no Seraph / Seraph of the End:

The Taming of the Demon, Chapter 3: Make Yourself At Home

…

 _Insert standard disclaimer here_

 _..._

 _More on the continuing adventures of the oddest of couples! Enjoy!_

… _.._

Chapter 3: Make Yourself At Home

The next morning: Asuramaru woke up to find himself under a very heavy and very soft comforter. It was cozy-warm underneath it, and the demon was tempted to just stay there, in the lovely warmth… "Wait," he said, seeing Yu moving back and forth in the room, getting dressed, straightening his uniform. "What is this?" he said, plucking at the blanket.

"Hm? What is what?"

"This…this covering. It wasn't there when I went to sleep last night."

"I know. I put it over you. You were shivering."

Asuramaru sat up, holding the blanket to himself. "You covered me with this blanket? Last night?"

"Yes," he replied absently, still straightening his uniform, making sure everything was in order. "You were cold."

"Why should you care?"

"Because I'm your friend. That's what friends do. They take care of their friends."

"I am _not_ your friend!"

"I didn't say you were. I said _I_ was _your_ friend. You were cold and shivering, so I covered you up."

Asuramaru shivered again, but not with cold. The human's sincerity was actually rather frightening, all by itself. "Well, now what? Have you figured out what went wrong with the spell?" This last said hopefully, as the demon rolled out of the futon and stood up, automatically wrapping both futon and blanket around him and pulling them up towards his head, pulling his hair, with its attendant gold pin, out from underneath it in an automatic gesture. His captor (as he saw it) had also provided him with a nice, fluffy pillow, and Asuramaru grabbed it and stuffed it into the futon with him. He wanted to keep them both as close to his person as he could. Demons know all about theft and taking something from another, and Asuramaru didn't want to lose these items that had become…important to him, even in the short time he'd had them.

"No, and that's troubling. I know I have the right scroll. I mean, it brought you here; it should say how to reverse the spell. Maybe I'm reading it wrong. Say," he turned to the demon, "Maybe you could take a look at it? Maybe you'll see something I don't."

Asuramaru shook his head, angrily. His hair no longer blew in any astral breeze, so it fell down to his ankles. Now wavelets of it rippled down his back. "No. YOU got me into this mess; it's YOUR responsibility to get me out!"

"But you might-*"

"NO, I tell you! It—no! YOU must get me out!"

Yu narrowed his eyes at his unusual and unwanted guest. "Asuramaru, what's wrong? I'd have thought you'd jump at the chance to see the spell scroll. I mean, you could read it and-*" Realization made his eyes widen. "You _can't_ read, can you? You've never had to! That's it, isn't it? You can't read!"

"I can, too!"

"Okay, prove it. What does this say?" He held up a can of bug spray.

The demon squinted. "Uhm, it says, 'use only in case of fire.'"

"Not even close. Admit it, 'Maru, you can't read. Now can you?"

"I can so read!" Pause. Then, in a lower tone of voice, "Just…just not any modern language."

"Which amounts to the same thing. Maru, you can't read!"

Asuramaru turned away in a huff. "Well, what of it? So I can't read. It was never considered all that important, where I come from. And don't call me 'Maru.' It's demeaning."

"I have to call you something besides 'Asuramaru.' Otherwise, I might as well plaster a sign on you saying, 'Demon over here!' Calling you 'Maru' allows me to ease you into human society without any friction from any anti-demon elements, and at the same time, protects you from Purifier agents. Remember, I told you there've been reports of spies, infiltrators. There could be some right here in the base, for all we know. And they're absolute fanatics; I saw them at work. If one of them got what he saw as a good or even a halfway good opportunity to take out an actual _demon_ , I doubt he'd hesitate, regardless of any consequences."

The demon huffed again. "I'm not exactly powerless, you know."

"No, but you _are_ physical now, and, as such, subject to physical injuries. You may even be mortal, for all either of us knows." Asuramaru's eyes widened at the thought. "So…a little precaution is called for. It can't hurt, now can it?" The demon said nothing, his face turned resolutely away.

…

"And we're going down the hallway with our bare faces hanging exactly _why?"_ For once, Asuramaru's expression of hostility was replaced by nervousness. Maybe he'd taken Yu's warnings to heart.

"I have to get you into some proper clothes. None of mine fit on you. I can't get you a uniform because you're not a JIDA officer." _Boy, are you ever not a JIDA officer._ "So that leaves getting you some nice clothes that would fit. I don't think any men's clothes would fit you, so that just leaves some decent women's clothes…"

"What!"

"Will you keep your voice down? Now, look at yourself. You can't tell me you think men dress that way these days!"

Asuramaru plucked at his dress. "These are perfectly good clothes! Why do I need any more?"

"Because," Yu explained, with the air of one with infinite patience, "you're a physical being now. That means you sweat, you get dirty, and you'll need a change of clothes. And that reminds me: I have to show you how to use the shower. And the toilet."

Asuramaru groaned, holding his stomach. "I'm feeling sick…"

"And how to use barf bags. And let's see…I'm sure you're in good physical health, but, but for all I know you may need, need, I dunno, demon vitamins or something. We'll have to go sho-*"

"Hello, Yu!" Shido Ichihara, one of the newer recruits, and a group of soldiers from the Division came around the corner. "Long time, no see!"

"Ah, yes, Shido. Uhm, how, how have you been?" He hoped he wasn't sweating, and cast a glance at Asuramaru beside him, who was standing, arms crossed, his usual angry expression on his face.

"Hey, good. Say, who's your friend?"

"Oh, yes. Where are my manners. Shido Ichihara, this is…Maru, a, a distant cousin of mine from across the Eastern Sea. He'll be staying with me for, ah," another glance; Asuramaru's face showed no reaction, "I don't exactly know how long."

Saito stuck out his hand. "Oh, well! Any friend of Yu's is a frie-* Wait. Did you say, 'he'?"

"Yes," said Yu, calmly. "Maru is a guy."

The other squad members looked Asuramaru up and down in a way the demon found _incredibly_ disquieting, taking in his slim, exposed shoulders, long violet hair, and legs. Especially his legs. Then, as one, they said, "Daaayyyuuumm!" In the back, one serviceman put his hands to the side of his head, and moaned, "Oh, God, strike me gay, this instant!"

A furious Asuramaru turned to Yu, fists on his hips. "What," he began, "is _that_ supposed to mean?!"

…

"Oh, come on. They didn't mean anything bad by it. Take it as a compliment."

"Oh? And would _you_ take it as a compliment if a group of women og-No, strike that. You probably would." The demon hadn't calmed down much. Yu had hustled him away from the group as quickly as he could. "And what was all that about me being your 'cousin'? We couldn't possibly be less related than we are."'

"Cover story, cover story. It was the best I could come up with on the fly. Civilians aren't really supposed to be in here, unless they're relatives. So, we're related. So there. Now." The two were in the base's apparel shop. They were browsing in the women's section, though it had taken some convincing on Yu's part to get the demon to agree to it. Uniforms, custom tailored to the individual were one thing, but none of the men's standard civilian clothes would fit, and Yu didn't want to take the risk of the added exposure by having Asuramaru measured for custom-fitted clothes. But the demon had still argued, simply out of spite. "Now, let's see. What size are you? What do you mean, you don't know? Oh, hell. So we'll just have to wing it. Try some things on."

"I will not!"

"You _will,_ " he whispered, " _that's an order._ Now come on. Work with me here. I'm trying to help you. Or would you rather wear that outfit until you stink?"

"What, you mean the way it stinks every time you come out of that thing you call a bathroom?" The demon waved his hand under his nose, face scrunching up in distaste. "You'd better pick up some heavy duty incense or something."

But Yu just nodded. He was becoming accustomed to Asuramaru's continued sniping. Actually, that kind of worried him, in a way. "I'll put it on the list. Now. There's blouses over there, and-oh, hey. I almost forgot. We need to see about underwear."

"Underwhat?"

Yu did a double take, taking in the demon's slender, delicate form, the skirt, split up almost to his waist, revealing a pair of…really great looking legs, by anyone's standards. "Maru, please tell me you're wearing underwear underneath all that!"

"What's 'underwear'?"

….

Later: they'd taken a break from shopping in the commissary that served the base. "I know it's not blood, but it'll do. Plus, it'll do double duty of promoting our cover story. You _can_ eat regular food, can't you?" The two were sitting across from each other at a small table by the wall.

Asuramaru poked a chopstick into the _miso_ soup. "I don't know. I've never tried." He clumsily tried to spear a floating bite of shrimp.

"You don't know how to use chopsticks?"

"What do you think, _idiot?_ We vampires come with our own built-in eating utensils, remember?"

"How can I forget?" He absently rubbed his neck where he'd bitten him. "Well, look, here's how." And he picked up his own set. "You hold them like this," he demonstrated. "See? Not all that hard."

"I didn't say it was _hard,_ " fumed the demon, "just that I was _unfamiliar_ with it. I'm sure, if an amoeba-level form of life such as yourself can do it, _I_ certainly can." But repeated attempts only resulted in the shrimp successfully avoiding capture. Yu noticed people watching.

Okay, thought Yu. Can't have his unfamiliarity with our ways attract attention. "Here," he said, reaching over with his own set, picking up the shrimp, and holding it for Asuramaru. "Here. Go on. Eat it."

"Eat this, mortal!"

"Okay, no more of that. Ground rules: I hereby command you to never refer to me—or any other human—as 'mortal.' Not in public, at least." The demon visibly seethed further. Yu wondered if he could really stay this angry this long. Well, he _was_ a demon. "That'll blow our cover for sure. Now, try this. Aren't you hungry?"

"Hungry for your blood, maybe." But Yu waved the shrimp under Asuramaru's nose, and the demon's angry expression faded just a bit. It _did_ smell pretty good. Not as good as blood, but…he reached out and closed his lips around the shrimp.

 _Flavor_ exploded in Asuramaru's mouth, and he nearly choked, putting his hands to his throat and spitting the shrimp back into his bowl. Yu reached over and patted him on the back. "There, there, it's okay. You just gotta take it a bit at a time. Maybe just some of the broth…you aren't used to anything of a solid nature…" And he got up to get some spoons.

 _Damn_ him, thought Asuramaru. That crazy human had _known_ this was going to happen, and had planned it all along just to humiliate him further. But…that shrimp _had_ tasted pretty good. He picked up the chopsticks and began to practice. Yu came back with the spoons. "Never had anything like that before? Well, that may've been my bad. You aren't used to it. We'll just go slow…" He filled a spoon with soup and offered it to the demon.

"I…I've had enough. It's not for me. Can we just go back to the room now?"

"Ah, I guess." For a first outing, he guessed it wasn't so bad. At least nobody died.

An older couple sitting across the restaurant smiled at them as they left. They'd watched Yu feeding his companion. The man turned to his wife. "Young love. You remember how we were, when we were that age?"

She reached across the table and took his hand. "How could I forget?" Her gaze traveled back to the retreating pair. "They seem so young."

He smiled, nodding. "They get younger every year. So do you." He kissed the back of her hand, and she smiled back at him.

But theirs were not the only eyes that followed Yu and Asuramaru.

….

"I am NOT wearing that!"

"You picked it out yourself!"

"That doesn't mean I'm going to wear it! I was only humoring you." His expression turned crafty. "And getting you to waste some of that precious 'money' of yours on items I'll never wear."

"Oh, you'll wear 'em, all right. Now, come in here." He led the demon into the small bathroom. "This," he said, "is the shower. Here's how you operate it." He turned the lever and demonstrated how to make the water different temperatures. "This is also a good way of warming up, you know." Now _his_ expression was crafty. Asuramaru's look of studied annoyance slipped, ever so slightly. Inwardly, Yu resolved to turn the heat in the apartment up. He didn't want his guest to catch a cold. Could a demon catch a cold? But he was physical now…and maybe with no immune system, or at least not one that could handle modern germs—it could be a Level One Stage alert. He'd have to see if the infirmary had anything for that, just in case. "And this device," he said, patting the toilet, "is for the disposal of bodily wastes, both liquid and solid. Don't tell me you don't know about those."

Asuramaru dithered. "Well, not from personal experience." He sniffed, disdainfully. "That's why we demons are superior. No bodily wastes to deal with. You physicals, vampires as well as mortals, could take a lesson."

"Not exactly sure how we'd make a go of that, but I'll give it due consideration. Now, I don't know about how you are, in this state, but there's no harm in preparing for the worst. If this body you're wearing is, basically, like what I see," he looked Asuramaru up and down, "then it will require some maintenance. And _that_ will be up to you. I'm not bathing you."

"Thank the _gods_."

"Yes, I quite agree. Now. I got you something at the store." He fished around in the boxes that had been delivered. "Here." He held up a pair of pink pajamas. "Here you go."

"What! Mortal, have you taken leave of your sens-*, no wait, I already know the answer to that question! What are those?"

"These are for you. You'll go into the bathroom and slip out of that gown, and into these. I'll send your dress out to be cleaned, and it'll be here tomorrow morning. Couldn't be simpler. You _do_ want to wear clean clothes, don't you?"

Asuramaru dithered, thinking. Well, the crazy human had him there. "Well, okay, but only because I've no intention of wearing those abominations you bought today! This is my look, I've had it for a thousand years, and I'm keeping it!" But he went into the small bathroom and changed. Came out and, very reluctantly, handed his dress to Yu. "You're not going to do something perverted with it, are you?"

"The vaguest shadow of the merest thought," replied Yu, "had never even begun to remotely consider the slightest possibility of the logistics of the beginning of any plan to begin mapping out a way to cross my mind."

….

Later: Asuramaru lay on his futon, thinking. He was still furious, of course. Demons don't relent from anger easily. But unless he could still his mind somehow, he'd never get to sleep. And he'd discovered this new, physical body of his seemed to need sleep.

Okay, so the crazy human was responsible for bringing him over to this physical plane in the first place. One strike against. No, make that a thousand. No, a million. But he'd also gone out of his way to accommodate him, and to conceal him from those who, presumably, would want to harm him. Asuramaru didn't know how his powers would work on this plane—his dream powers evidently did—but he didn't know about anything else. It could easily be that he _had_ no other powers.

And _that_ was a sobering thought. Because it meant he was basically at the mercy of the crazy human, dependent upon him for…for everything. Food, if he needed it. Clothing. In spite of his protests, Asuramaru knew he'd have to have a change of clothing sooner or later. On the physical plane, his garments wouldn't last forever; they weren't designed to. Shelter. Right now, the only thing keeping him from sleeping outdoors, in some filthy alleyway maybe, with gods only knew who or what sniffing around, was Yu's good graces. If the human really wanted revenge for Asuramaru's taking over his body, it would be child's play to simply kick him out. Yet he hadn't.

But all that just served to grate on Asuramaru's nerves all the more. _Okay, this isn't helping. How can I relax?_ Teasing Yu only seemed to get him all the more worked up, especially since such teasing seemed to just bounce right off the crazy human's skin. "Yu?"

"Mm?" Sleepily.

"I…can't sleep."

Yu turned over, eyes still half-shut from sleep. "You can't sleep?"

"Yes," grated Asuramaru, "that's what I said. Nothing wrong with your hearing, I see."

Yu sat up and swiveled around to where he was sitting on the edge of the bed. He rubbed his eyes, sleepily. "Okay. So…what do you want me to do? Read you a bedtime story?"

"What's that?"

"It's a story"— _that parents read to little children to help them get to sleep—_ "that's supposed to help you sleep."

"Oh. I've…never heard of one of those." He turned his head towards Yu. "I…would you?" _Maybe it'll irritate him a little._

"Hm. I don't know that I have any. I sure don't know any." Yu's childhood hadn't been one of nursery rhymes and bedtime stories. "Let me see." He got up, barefoot, and padded over to his small bookshelf. There wasn't much in the way of entertainment; it was mostly military manuals. "Here. Here's something." He pulled out a battered copy of Thucydides' _The Peloponnesian War._ "This is about the closest I've got." He sat back on the bed and began to read.

Asuramaru was asleep almost instantly.

 _To be continued…_


	4. Chapter 4: Comfort Zone

Owari No Seraph: The Taming of the Demon

Chapter 4: Comfort Zone

….

 _Is anybody_ _really_ _under the impression I write this for money? No? Okay, let's proceed then._

…

 _I normally don't like to post so soon, but the holidays are coming up, and I don't know when I'll be able to post again. So here's a little Easter present, a little early!_

 _Asuramaru in the physical realm! Will either survive?_

… _.._

Chapter 4: Comfort Zone

Miles away, within a palace fortified within the deeper of the Earth's caverns, a slim figure on a rose colored throne accepted a sheaf of reports from the courier. "Is this all there is of it?"

"Yes, milady," said the white-suited vampire, bowing respectfully. "My group has checked and re-checked. Of course, you do know that, due to the very nature of the… _problem_ , none of us can vouch for its absolute accuracy…"

"…and I also know what will happen to any who've knowingly falsified any part of these reports." The courier shuddered, slightly. "But that will be all for now. You may go." The hooded figure bowed again, turned, and left.

Krul Tepes glanced through the reports. Civilization had not yet been rebuilt enough to allow for long-range mass communication, at least not reliable communication, and any internet was still a dream. So until something better could be worked out…

And much of that "something better" was underway. In the ensuing years since the cessation of hostilities—major hostilities, at least—between vampires of the Western State and humans, much progress had been made. Working together, the knowledge the vampires had kept from before the End, combined with human ingenuity, plus the willingness to work together on both parties' sides, had produced some advances exceeding, in some cases, even the best of the Old World. Still, such progress was spotty, and largely limited to advances in weaponry, though the medical arts didn't lack far behind.

One thing they'd found out, Krul was discovering, were the reports, more gleanings of information regarding the humans' experimentation on their own kind. Krul Tepes shuddered to herself when she thought about some of the things they'd found…horrible things no human _or_ vampire should even _know_ of, let alone experiment with.

However, the new stack of folders contained information about something considerably worse, something that had been plaguing her dreams for nearly a year now. "Hm. General? Thoughts?"

Major General Guren Ichinosi took the folder from her and glanced over it. "It's growing. But so far, the rate has been steady. No acceleration; I'm calling that good news."

"Mm. Indeed. What of the new railguns?"

He glanced up. "They'll be ready within the week. However…" and here he glanced back at the report in his hand, "I seriously doubt they'll be any more effective than the last."

Krul Tepes paused a moment, stopping all movement. She wasn't even breathing. She was as still as a stone statue. Guren wondered whether that momentary hesitation was deliberate, for show, or whether or not she really was pausing in thought. "Still, they're all we've got," she said, finally. She took another folder from the stack. "You've seen the reports on the Eastern Empire. They've had no better success than we have." She waved at the folder in Guren's hand. "At this rate, given our mutual lack of success…

"…at this rate, I think it safe to say, the entire planet is in danger."

…

The next day: Asuramaru's gown had been returned, and the demon seemed to almost _eject_ from his pink pajamas so he could slide back into it. So eager was he that Yu, holding his hand up over his eyes, had to remind him to go into the bathroom first. He was unaccountably nervous about seeing the demon's naked body. "And put on those panties we bought back there!" he added, as Asuramaru struggled to get into his dress. On the astral plane, he'd never had to actually _dress_ before, and his preferred garment was a rather tight fit.

"No!"

"Fine. Some breeze will blow your skirt up and show the world and his wife everything you've got down there."

Pause. "How…how do I put them on?"

Yu sighed.

…..

Next day: They were just about to go out when Yu thought there was something peculiar about Asuramaru's expression. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. Shut up and leave me alone." But he was looking distinctly uncomfortable, holding his stomach.

"Maru, if you're going to make it in this world, you have to tell me if something's bothering you. Something physical," he amended, even as the demon's mouth opened to say something undoubtedly snarky. "Now, you look uncomfortable. Don't those panties fit you?" It had already been long decided that if Asuramaru insisted on wearing his signature dress, he'd have to wear, at least, something minimal underneath it.

"They…fit. Sort of. No, this is…something else."

"What?"

Asuramaru held his stomach. "It's a feeling of…of _pressure_ , down here." He indicated his lower abdomen, an expression of pain on his face. "I've never, never experienced anything like that before. I think I may have caught one of your disgusting mortal diseases."

Yu laughed, much to the demon's annoyance. "Oh, Maru, that just means you have to go to the bathroom! That's all."

"'Go to the bathroom'? How will that help?"

"Er, that's a euphemism. Means you have to…get rid of some bodily waste. I _thought_ something like this might happen." He led Asuramaru back into the small bathroom. "Here." He indicated the toilet seat. "Just sit there…no, no, no, lift up your skirt first—oh, and slide the panties down—yes, yes, I'll step out—and, y'know, just _push._ Push _down_ with the muscles in your lower abdomen. When you get done, use this—" he showed him how to use the bidet—"and use _this_ ," he gestured towards the toilet tissue roll on the wall by it, "to, to, uh, wipe yourself clean. Then put the tissue you used into the toilet, and push that button, just like I showed you. It's really very simple. Now, I'll leave you to it." And he stepped out.

Time went by, and Yu was beginning to become concerned. What was the demon doing in there? But finally, Asuramaru came out, grumbling and rubbing his backside. "How do you mortals _stand_ it? That _hurt._ " He kept on rubbing his rump and grimacing.

"What hurt?"

"That horrid _cleansing_ process! It took for _ever_. Oh, and I don't think that 'toilet' of yours is very efficient. It's overflowing onto the floor."

Yu rushed into the bathroom. Asuramaru was telling the truth; the toilet _was_ overflowing. "Ah!" He stepped over, his feet making ripples in the water on the floor, to the bowl. "Maru! You aren't supposed to use _paper towels_ to wipe yourself! No wonder it hurt!" He came out. "You're not bleeding, are you?"

"How should I know? I can't see back there! I thought those stiffer paper things would work better. They seemed more durable."

"They certainly are! That's why you don't use them! You use the _toilet tissue_ , what I pointed to! That's why it's called _toilet_ tissue _!_ Maru, why do you always have to be so, so…why do you always have to _screw up_ so?!"

Asuramaru turned away, an expression on his face such as Yu had never seen. "Stop _shouting_ at me! I've never…this is the first time I ever…" He turned away, putting his hands over his face. His shoulders shook.

"Aw, no," moaned Yu. He went up to the demon. Tears were running down Asuramaru's face. Somehow, to Yu, this was just fifteen different gradations of wrong. Asuramaru was one of the strongest, most powerful, most dangerous demons anyone knew of. What was going on here? "Come here." He reached out and enfolded the demon in his arms.

"No," Asuramaru struggled weakly, hands still on his face. "Stop. Don't touch me…leave me alone…" But the tears wouldn't stop, and they were getting in his nose. He sniffled.

"Come on, Maru, it's okay." He gently crushed him to his chest. He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped at the tears. He found himself talking, saying things he thought he'd never say to a being like Asuramaru, who, uncharacteristically enough, didn't seem to object too mightily to their closeness. "Look. I'm sorry I yelled at you. You're right, it was the first time for you, doing something like that. I probably would've done the same, in your, uh, feet. Don't worry, I'll clean it up. Okay?" And here he turned the Black Demon's face up to his. "It'll be alright. I promise." He gave him a brave smile.

Asuramaru actually smiled back, and his arms went around Yu. He rested his head on Yu's shoulder. Then they both froze. "Uh…" He pulled back.

"Right." Yu disengaged hastily. "Uh, that didn't happen, okay?"

"Right," said the blushing demon, "it never happened. Ever. In fact, I don't even know what we're talking about."

….

Asuramaru's temper came back as they shopped for the other supplies Yu needed, not all of them for his demonic guest. "I hope you aren't expecting _me_ to carry any of those," he grumped, indicating a growing pile of groceries.

"No, they'll be delivered." Yu was actually glad Asuramaru was back to his old self. That other Asuramaru had…disturbed him a bit. He didn't quite know how to deal with it.

While they were out, he took the chance to glance at his companion. Asuramaru…Black series demon. Male? Well, yes. At least, he guessed so. But the way he moved, turned, and gesticulated, even his facial expressions and reactions…so—no other word for it- _feminine_. And when he'd held him…he'd smelled so _great_. And his body…so _soft._ Why was that?

Even his figure. He didn't have any breasts, of course (or did he? There _was_ a sort of a swelling on his upper torso…), but he did have a slightly hourglass shaped upper body. And his legs…

"Why are you staring at me?"

"I…was wondering if we needed anything else for you." _Good save, Yu._ "Can you think of anything? Besides getting you home, of course."

The demon crossed his arms and turned up his nose. "How should I know? This is your world. You should know all about bodies like these. What else do you suppose I might require?"

"Hm. Well, I can't think of anything." The thought struck him, and he spoke before thinking about it. "What about entertainment?"

The demon looked puzzled, and a little ill at ease. "What about it?"

"What do you like to do? Besides torment mortals, possess bodies, and generally wreck havoc wherever you go, I mean?"

"Ha. Look who's talking. I couldn't outdo you on the best day of my immortal life. Well," Asuramaru struck a thoughtful pose. "I…confess I don't know. What sort of entertainment do you have here? I mean, here, in this base?" He looked around him. Several of the servicemen passing them had given Asuramaru some distinct looks of interest, and a couple had leered unashamedly at him, but so far, his cover as Yu's "cousin" had served to deflect anybody from making any passes at him. Asuramaru wasn't sure how to react to such in this apparently limited condition of his. Part of him was glad he didn't have to.

Protected by a human. Could his humiliation _be_ more complete?

But, he told himself quickly, it wasn't a question of him being _protected_ , not protected _as such_ , he told himself. Really, he just didn't want to have to bother with such foolishness right now. He just had bigger worries. That was all. "What do _you_ do, for entertainment?"

Yu rubbed his chin. "Hm. Tell the truth, not a lot. I've been on duty so long…well, I used to play chess, over in the rec center, with whoever was there."

"Chess?"

"Yes. You don't know about chess? Hm." His eyes turned into those of a crafty predator sizing up the prey. "I could teach you. It's not hard to learn. I'm sure it wouldn't be hard for a superior life form such as yourself."

"Good! I'd love to!"

The rec center was empty, surprisingly, and Yu set up the chess board, set the pieces out. He explained the rules, and what pieces were what. "I'm told, back in Medieval times, kings and noblemen used to play this to learn strategy. So, really, it ought to come second nature to you."

It did. Four defeats later, he hung his head. "Are you _sure_ you've never played this game before?"

"No, but I'm sure glad I did! You ought to see the look on your face! Ha ha!" The demon was practically holding his sides.

"Yeah? Well, one more round." _I'll wipe that smirk right off your face._

"Wait. Let's make this one…interesting."

He was instantly on guard. "Interesting…how?"

"Let's bet something."

"No way. You're drunk with success."

"Seriously. Let's bet something."

He shifted, uneasily. "Like what?" Asuramaru didn't really have anything to bet.

"If you win…I have to tell you something very private about me. But if I win…" the demon smiled a very discomforting smile, resting his chin on his fist, "You have to do what I say."

"Hell, no. You'd have me doing something perverted, embarrassing, or illegal. Or more probably, all three at once. No way."

"No, no. Just…you answer a question of mine. Truthfully. And completely."

Yu hesitated. "Just answer a question? What sort of question?"

Asuramaru smiled. "Play me and find out."

One defeat later: _Okay, why, exactly, did I agree to this?_ "Alright. What's your question?"

"That girl's golden hairpin. How did you come by it?"

He shifted again, not meeting Asuramaru's gaze. "It…was a gift."

"Yes, you said that. A gift from who?"

"If you must know, it was a gift from Sayuri."

"That stuck-up little princess in your squad?"

"She's not stuck up and yes. From Moon Demon Company."

"Why would she give you a solid gold hairpin?"

He waved him off. "I answered your question. That's it."

"You didn't answer it _completely_ yet. Why would she give you a solid gold hairpin?"

"It…" He was cleaning up the board, putting the pieces away. Then he sighed. "She…got into a tight fix, financially, once. She'd lost a lot of money on something, I don't even know what. And the only thing of value, enough value, she had was that hairpin. It…it was a family heirloom."

Asuramaru's eyes widened. "So you bought it from her?"

"No, she hocked it. I…found out about it, and bought it back from the dealer."

Asuramaru was puzzled. "How? You don't make that kind of money."

"How do you know how much money I make?"

"I heard you grumbling about it the other day. You don't make the kind of money to buy a solid gold anything. How did you buy it?"

"I…sold something of my own."

"Yeah? What?"

"A sword."

"A _sword?_ Not a cursed sword, I hope!"

"No, just a regular sword. It was also a family heirloom."

"What family? You grew up in that awful orphanage."

"Not _my_ family. Lieutenant Colonel Guren's."

Asuramaru gaped, surprise spreading over his features. "How…how did _you_ come by _his_ family sword?"

"He gave it to me."

"Gave it to you? Why?"

"That's a whole other story. I've answered your question. Now there."

"Not quite. You sold the sword, bought the hairpin…why? I mean, you've still got it. Did you buy it for yourself? It _is_ gold. Good investment, maybe?"

He scowled. "Nothing like that. I bought it so I could give it back to her."

"So why didn't you?"

He sighed. "I tried. At first, she was astonished, then a bit angry that I'd gotten all up in her business. Then…well, we were kinda in a sort of a relationship then, and…"

"Yes? And?"

He sighed again. "She went and bought the sword back, and tried to give _it_ to _me_. Well, to make a long story short, we ended up giving each other the item we'd bought for the other. She gave me the pin, and I gave her the sword."

"What? Why?"

Another scowl. "You wouldn't understand. It…it was kind of a memento of…what we meant to each other, what we were beginning to mean to each other. An exchange of gifts. Even though the sword didn't come from my family, I, I guess it came from the only family I had. So…"

Asuramaru rested his chin on his interlaced fingers, smiling nastily. "True love. How sweet."

"I told you you wouldn't understand."

Asuramaru's smile faded. "You might be surprised." He turned his head, as though looking off into the distance. Then he turned back, and actually put out a finger onto Yu's hand. "I had family, too, once. Long ago." Some other soldiers entered the rec room, laughing, and his frown returned. "It's getting too crowded in here. Let's go."

…

The fortress of Krul Tepes: "I think you might want to take a look at this." Guren handed her the recently-delivered folder.

"Why? What's in it-*oh, gods." Krul put her head in her hands, wearily. "How did this happen?"

"No idea. But I guess you recognize the person in that photo, don't you?"

Krul glanced again at the low-rez, long-range photo. "Yes. It's him. My brother. The Walking Disaster."

 _To be continued…_


	5. Chapter 5: Hope

Owari no Seraph / Seraph of the End: The Taming of the Demon, Chapter 5: Hope

….

 _Okay, people, here's another chapter in the adventures of the universe's oddest of couples. I had to change the rating of the story to "M"…I think you'll see why._

… _.._

The Taming of the Demon, Chapter 5: Hope

….

"And what's this place called again?"

"A 'bar.'"

"Why?" The Black Demon looked around suspiciously. A highly reluctant Yu had deftly maneuvered them both into a table by the door, for swift and easy extraction at the first sign of a good or even halfway adequate opportunity. "There's no bars here."

"It's a convention of speaking," muttered Yu, trying to keep his voice down. This was the last place he wanted to be with a success-drunk demon, but Asuramaru had insisted when he saw the gaudy neon lights inside, and heard the laughter. _They must be torturing something really awful in there,_ he'd thought, excitedly. He was visibly disappointed to learn that the dartboards were not alive.

"But why is everybody acting so strange?"

"Ah, it's because of their preferred poison."

He looked elated. "People poison themselves here?"

"No, no, no, I mean, it's because of what they're drinking."

"They're drinking poison?" Yu thought he hadn't seen the demon so happy in a—well, he'd never seen him so happy, at least since his coming over to the physical realm.

" _No,_ they are _not drinking poison._ Those are _euphemisms._ I mean, they are drinking alcoholic drinks of…various types."

The demon visibly deflated. "But no poison?"

"No poison."

The clearly disappointed demon sat down in his chair, at the table across from Yu, chin in his hand. Yu had deliberately steered him over into a corner close by the door, with every intent of scooping him out of there as soon as he possibly could. After all, ((Asuramaru + people trying to get plastered) x alcohol) / (trying to remain undercover) was a formula that failed to put him at ease.

"What do they drink, then?"

"Er, well, various things." _I am_ _not_ _giving a Black Demon alcohol. I am_ _not_ _giving a Black Demon alcohol. I am_ _not_ _giving a Black Demon alcohol._ "Fruit punch, for example." _Yeah, fruit punch._

"I want some. In fact…" Here he searched over the heads of the crowd and pointed. "I'll have whatever that man on the floor over there is having."

Yu looked. "Maru, he's conked out on the floor."

"But he looks so happy. I want some of that."

"Maru, trust me, you don't want any of that."

"I do, too!" He smiled slyly. "Are we gonna haveta argue this out right here in public?"

 _He'll make a scene if I don't,_ thought Yu. So he motioned to the waiter. "One Vampire's Bite. And, uh, _water it down,_ " he whispered behind his hand, to the surprised bartender. " _Way down."_ The waiter raised his eyebrow. The guy _didn't_ wanna get his date drunk? That was new. Then he shrugged. Not his to question why.

He came back and dropped off the glass in front of Asuramaru, who looked disappointed. "That's all there is to it? I was expecting something bigger."

"Believe me, that's big enough."

"What are you having?"

"Er, I'm good. I, uh, may be about to be on duty, in a manner of speaking, and it wouldn't do to report with alcohol on my breath." He tried to look as nonchalant as he could while he struggled within his soul to make that the truth: in a way, it was.

Asuramaru narrowed his eyes at the crazy human, trying to sense his emotions, see if he was telling the truth. He seemed to check out, though the demon couldn't figure out why. It was like it was a lie and not a lie at the same time. Asuramaru frowned slightly; nobody had ever been able to confuse his senses like that before. Well, anyway, to business.

He lifted the glass and threw a good percentage of its contents onto the back of his throat like he'd seen the other attendees do. His eyes grew wide and watery, and he choked, holding his throat, and started coughing. Yu reached over, just as he'd done in the commissary, and patted him on the back. "C'mon, Maru, stay with me here. It didn't go down the wrong way, did it? Okay, just breathe, then. C'mon, it's okay…"

" _Kaff, koff!_ Mort-, I mean, hu-, I mean, _Yu!_ You did that deliberately! You tried to kill me!"

"Me?! What'd _I_ do? I told you not to drink that!"

"Not strongly enough! Your— _kaff! Kaff!_ —powers of persuasion could _definitely_ stand some work!"

"Yeah, well, now you see it's not for y-*"

"Not so— _kaff!_ —fast! I want another!"

" _Another?_ What for?"

"You people drink this horrible stuff! Whatever you can do, _I_ can do at least seven times better! Remember, I _am_ a vampire, too, you know!"

"Okay, okay, already! Keep it down! But don't forget, _you asked for it!"_

Two hours later, Yu was half carrying a weaving Asuramaru down the hallways of the base, back to the apartment. "Shure ish a long way back," slurred the Black Demon, his arm around Yu's shoulder. "An' I don' 'member thish hallway being so— _hic!_ —so crook…ed…"

"I'll tell maintenance. They'll have it straightened out by morning."

"Good, good. Yer a good hu— _hic!_ —human, Yu." He patted Yu with his free hand. "Nice an' well-behaved. Other humans could shure take a lesh— _hic!_ —I mean, a less-son from you. An' your blood tastes— _hic!_ —tastes— _hic!_ —tastes _delishus_! Did I ever— _hic!_ —did I ever tell you that?"

"It's come up a time or two."

"Really del— _hic!—_ de _lish_ us blood."

"Yeah, uh, let's not get on the blood thing right now…"

"I want some."

"Not right now. Let's at least wait 'til we get to the room, _sweetheart._ " He tried to act and sound convincing as passersby were beginning to stare. The men smiled; the women frowned.

"I wanna suck on you."

"Not in public! Er, _darling!_ " A passing serviceman looked at him, startled, then gave Asuramaru a once-over and grinned, giving Yu a thumbs up.

To his surprise, Yu found he really _didn't_ appreciate the man's assessment of Asuramaru.

…

"C'mon, Maru, it's just a little further…" The demon's ability to walk had deteriorated considerably. _He must be metabolizing that alcohol at a fantastic rate,_ thought Yu. _He's getting_ _more_ _drunk, not less._

Suddenly, Asuramaru threw both his arms around Yu's neck and sagged. "Carry me," he murmured. Yu caught him before he hit the ground.

He picked him up, bridal style, and proceeded down the hallway, doing his best to ignore the stares of the passersby. Asuramaru laid his head on Yu's shoulder contentedly. For some reason, the appreciative looks the men were giving Asuramaru made him a little angry. _I'll thank you to keep your eyes to yourself, goddammit!_

Suddenly, he was aware of Asuramaru's cheek pressed up against his own. He had brought his other hand up and pulled their heads closer together. "Mmm," he murmured, rubbing his cheek up against Yu's like a cat, "you feel so _nice_." He rubbed his face against Yu's, and, although he couldn't see it, Yu could hear the smile in the demon's voice. "So very _niiiiice_."

"Uh…" Brilliantly.

Asuramaru turned his face to him, sniffing him. "You _smell_ so _goooooood_." Again, that clearly audible smile in the voice. Asuramaru kissed his cheek, ever so lightly, then touched the tip of his tongue to Yu's skin. "And you taste so _wonderful_ …" murmured the drunk demon, pulling them both even closer together.

"Hold on, Maru, just a little longer. Don't rape me 'till we get to the room, okay?"

A sleepy murmur up against his cheek: " _O_ -kay."

…..

The underground fortress of Krul Tepes: "We deploy the erazers _here,_ " Guren was saying, "and _here._ The railguns-*"

"Wait," she broke in. "Why there?"

He grimaced. "Power source." Most civilians didn't realize what it took to make a proper weapon's-grade laser work. Building the actual gun wasn't the problem; the problem was the power source.

In the old days, before the End, humans had used chemical reactions in various forms to supply the energy needed to make a coherent beam of electromagnetic energy strong enough to break through a target's defenses, whether those defenses were actual active defenses or simply its outer surface. That required a large supply of the reacting chemical, which, of course, couldn't be re-used, as well as a suitable storage and reaction chamber. All that took up a huge amount of resources: material, space, money, and time. It wasn't as simple as it looked.

But recent developments in power generation had enabled the Western State to produce actual, working electron radiation lasers—dubbed "erazers"—of realistic size and deployment. "We have to be able to power the things. Those miniature cascade reactors are still pretty heavy, due to that shielding. And they _will_ need to be refueled sooner than a standard cascade power plant since they're using up so much more energy. Plus," he said, "That line's pretty close to the Empire's lines of operation. Wouldn't do to let one of the lasers, complete with reactor, fall into their hands."

"Of course, yes," said Krul, waving it away. She wasn't terribly concerned about the details; that was Guren's job. "So the new railguns go here? Why so far away?

"Theirs is a ballistic payload. They can be fired in an arc; the erazers have to be line-of-sight."

"What's the payload?"

"Two kinds: lithium hydride fusion cores and negative matter."

Her eyes widened. "Negative matter? I wasn't aware you'd been able to produce any of that." The exotic matter had long been thought to be only a mathematical concept to physicists.

"So-cal's managed to come up with some. Not much, you understand; only a few grams. But if anything gets through, it should be that." He didn't have to say the rest of the sentence: _Nothing has before. This is our best shot._

 _It could easily be our last shot._

…..

The apartment: A very exasperated Yuichiro carried a very-passed out Asuramaru inside, over his shoulder, butt-first into the bedroom. Perhaps not exactly the most romantic scenario, he would have admitted to himself, had he thought about it, but right then, romance was the furthest thing from his mind. He plunked Asuramaru down onto his bed. Now. What to do?

Asuramaru was completely conked out, lying on Yu's bed, snoring ever so slightly, and Yu stood there a moment, just looking at him. Then he shook his head. Poor little guy, he sure was in for a harsh awakening, come morning. Yu guessed he probably still had a little blood left in his alcohol system. Well, okay, just pour him onto his own futon…now to tie up his hair. Where was the gold hairpin Yu had given him?

Yu looked and looked, but he couldn't find it. Then he thought: Asuramaru was paranoid about losing things. He probably had it on him somewhere. He turned back to the bed.

Asuramaru, still snoring softly, had reached up and grabbed Yu's long memory gel body pillow, Yu's pride and joy, and had wrapped his arms and legs around it, gripping it tightly. He looked to be perfectly at peace, a condition Yu knew would shatter upon his awakening. "C'mon, Maru. Gimme the pillow. You've got your own…" He pulled and pulled, actually succeeding in lifting the snoring demon completely up off the bed and plopping him back down on it. But Asuramaru only gripped the pillow all the tighter, without waking up. Yu sighed. Well, okay, he thought. Anything to keep peace.

But now he noticed Asuramaru wasn't just _holding_ the pillow, he was moving his hips against it in a _most_ suggestive way. "Yu? Honey?" he whispered, sleepily, his lips close to the pillow, all the while continuing his movements, "We're home...how 'bout that rape? 'Member, you _promised..._ " He reached down up under his dress, hooked a thumb into his panties, drew his leg up, and pulled the panties down towards his knees.

"Aw, no! Maru, leave my pillow alone!" He renewed and redoubled his efforts to rescue his pillow. But the drunk demon paid no attention, lost in his own little alcohol-induced dream world. He began to move faster and more vigorously against the pillow, even while Yu struggled to get him off it. He had plans of his own for that preferably un-molested pillow tonight. Like _as a pillow._ But it was beginning to look like that…might not happen.

Yu refused to be defeated so easily, but the curse chains wouldn't help here, as Maru wasn't threatening _him._ He kept trying to pull the pillow away. It occurred to him that he didn't _actually know_ Asuramaru's sex. He really hadn't gotten that good a look a moment ago, when Maru had removed his panties (not that he'd tried), and between Maru's passionate movements, the flaps of his dress, and his closeness to the pillow, he couldn't tell. But if Maru was male, his precious pillow could easily require some extra attention, come morning.

Asuramaru continued enthusiastically humping the pillow. "Oh, Yu, you're fant _A_ stic, this is the BEST…" He thrust harder and faster, his skinny (but cute!-Yu noticed) little butt bobbing up and down, all the while smothering the portion of the pillow in front of his face with fervent kisses.

"No, no, I, I can't…" _No way I can stand to watch this._ Yu covered his eyes and fled the room, grabbing a blanket, heading for the living room.

Just how hard did a demon get?—he wondered. He hoped Maru didn't punch through the plastic cover. If he did, things could get _really_ messy.

The small couch was nowhere near big enough to sleep on, but he did his best, wrapping the blanket around him. He'd slept in worse conditions, out in the field.

At least it wasn't the Deadlands.

As always, thinking of that queer place filled him with a nameless dread.

He was doing his best to settle down, when he heard Asuramaru gasp. "Ah! Ohhhhh….oh, Yu, oh, Yu!" He hurriedly stopped up his ears; evidently, he'd left at just the right time. He had no desire to be in the same room with Asuramaru doing...that.

For over three hours, he kept his fingers in his ears, until the enthusiastic demon eventually ran out of whatever enthusiastic demons used for such things. Then he got up and went in to see if he could salvage anything from the Wreckage. The Black Demon was now completely unconscious, spent, but still happily clutching the pillow, the bliss of complete and total satiation on his face, with the evidence of his recent endeavors to acquire that satiation down below his waist, on the bed, abundant on his dress and legs, and covering Yu's precious body pillow. It looked like an explosion in a sperm bank. Yu sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, looking at the scene. _My poor pillow. It'll never be the same._ It wasn't lost on him that it hadn't been the _pillow_ the Black Demon had thought he was fucking; somehow, that made the whole thing both more and less perverted at the same time. _Good thing these walls are reinforced,_ he thought to himself. _I can just see the headlines in tomorrow's newsfeeds: "Local military base leveled by massive demonic ejaculation. Hundreds killed, thousands pregnant."_ He started to try to retrieve his pillow—maybe he could send it out tonight—but two things occurred to him: one, Maru was, after all, a _vampire_ demon, with greater strength and endurance than a human. If he, still out of it, discovered that _Yu_ was Yu, he just might be ready for another go-round, and pull him down into an ecstatic amorous embrace. Yu wasn't sure if the curse chains would help him there. Did being joyously raped by a shitfaced demon count as harm, as far as they were concerned? With humans, it surely would, but the curse chains weren't human and might not think like that. Besides, he had another reason for leaving things as they were.

He thought about tying Maru's hair up again, but then…see above. "Hell with it," he murmured at the snoring demon.

He went back into the living room, sank down in the cramped sofa as best as he could, and tried to get some sleep.

Sunlight through the open window awoke him, and for a moment, he just lay there, trying to get his bearings. Then he remembered all that had happened from the night before…

Oh, God.

"Ooooooo…." The low groan came from the other room. _Wait for it,_ thought Yu. Then, _**"MORTAAAL!"**_ He casually got up, straightened up his makeshift bed as best as he could, and went into the bedroom.

There he found a _very_ confused and upset demon still lying on his bed, moaning, still clutching the pillow, holding his head. "Mortal, what'd you _do_ to me, last night?" His facial expression bespoke of misery at both the top and the middle of his body. So absorbed was he in his morning-after misery, he hadn't yet noticed anything amiss south of the border.

"I believe," countered Yu, with a certain amount of heat, "that if you examine things even a little, you'll discover _I_ didn't do anything to _you._ "

"What are you yammering about n-* Oh, oh, gods!" He'd noticed where he was. "You _BASTARD!_ You, you took advantage of m-*

"Oh, no, I didn't! Don't get started there! Look for yourself! What are you holding? And that ain't honey on it, down there!" The residue had mostly dried and seeped into the bed—Yu sighed; he wasn't sure that would ever come out—but it was still in evidence in the stains on Asuramaru's dress and on Yu's waterproof pillow. "Where's your panties?"

 _Now,_ Asuramaru began to _really_ examine himself and his surroundings, took note of his hanging onto Yu's body pillow so tightly…and what was on both it and his dress. He automatically reached down to flip his gown's front flap down to better cover himself…and gasped again. "Noooo…" he moaned. He started to bring his hand up to his face, then, part way, noticed what was on it, and blanched. "W-what _happened_ last night?" He still hadn't fully released Yu's body pillow. Yu wondered if he was planning to. Maybe it had become like a security blanket for him.

"You got drunk, just like I said you would. And when I brought you back here…" he gestured at the bed, the pillow…and Asuramaru's dress, "Well, you were out of it at the time.

"But…what did I do…?"

"Well, not to put too fine a point to it, you came back and made mad, passionate love to my pillow all night long. And I do mean, _all night long._ " Another gesture. " _And_ my bed. _And_ your dress. _And_ your panties. And pretty much anything else that got within reach. Actually, a list of things in this room you _didn't_ splooge on would be much shorter." He chanced to look up. "Maru," and here his voice dropped to an awed whisper, "Just how far can you shoot it, anyway? I think I see some on the _ceiling_ …"

"Oh, gods." Asuramaru turned partially away from Yu, burying his face in Yu's pillow. He was obviously embarrassed to the point where simple death would be a improvement. "Oh, gods. No, I don't believe it. This has to be some sort of sick mortal joke!" He looked up, fury on his features. "You planned this whole thing! You-*"

"Maru," said Yu calmly, "look down at yourself. Not what you're holding or wearing, but look down at _yourself._ The part your panties normally cover. Look at _that._ _That_ came from you, er, no pun intended."

Asuramaru finally released the pillow, but only because his free hand was contaminated. He felt down with his right hand...then closed his eyes in utter misery. He buried his face in the pillow. "Oh, godddddds," he moaned, this time almost too low to be heard. He looked so miserable… "I...no, surely not," he said.

Something inside Yu melted a little. He'd been drunk a time or two, himself. Poor little guy, he couldn't have known. "Look, here, just hold on. I'll take care of it. Let me get some wipes." And Yu left to go into the bathroom.

"Some _wipes!?"_

"Some _wipes,_ yes." He came back in with the canister of sanitary napkins. "Here. I'll let you, er, handle that. And here." He handed Asuramaru a small glass of water with two fizzing tablets in it. "This'll help with, uh, the head and stomach thing."

As best as he could while still trying to cover up, Asuramaru cleaned himself, and futilely tried to clean the pillow and bed. "What—what is this?" he asked, looking suspiciously at the fizzing liquid. "Some kind of mortal magic?"

"Eh, sort of."

Asuramaru abandoned his hopeless task of cleaning the stained bed and pillow and took the drink, getting outside of it in one gulp. He blinked as the fizzing water went down his throat. "I, I…" He was at a complete loss for words. Yu felt a little guilty for savoring the moment.

"Here, look. Come on. Here's your pajamas. Get in these, and I'll send your dress out. My pillow, too." He sighed. "Maybe they can clean it."

Without a word, the Black Demon walked, awkwardly, into the bathroom, trying his best to hold the affected area of his dress out from him. Yu looked around for the panties, finding them on the floor. He sighed again, and just dropped them into the trash. They were easy to replace.

A very subdued-looking Asuramaru came out, holding the dress with his fingertips. "Here." Yu could barely hear his voice.

He dropped the dress into the plastic cleaning bag. He didn't even ask if Yu was going to do anything perverted with it. Yu guessed he'd have to go to some lengths to do anything more perverted than Asuramaru himself had already done. "How's your head?"

"Better." The Black Demon just stood there, in his little pink pajamas, looking so totally miserable that Yu couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"Look, come over here." And he led him to the bed. "Maru...look, I know you're embarrassed right now. Well, that's kinda normal. It's reality's way of telling us not to do that kind of thing anymore. Think you can handle that?"

Asuramaru didn't say anything, but just sat there on the edge of the bed, head down, not looking at Yu. He seemed awfully small, to Yu's concerned gaze. Was he over his hangover yet? "Maru?"

"Yeah. I...don't think I'll be...sampling any more of those awful mortal drinks."

Yu put his arm around him and pulled him into a quick, one-shoulder hug. "That's the spirit! And look. It's just us guys. It wasn't, like, out in public or anything. 'S a totally private matter."

"Not anymore. Now everybody's gonna know."

"Huh? Know what?"

Asuramaru fidgeted, twisting his fingers together. "About...about what I did last night. I mean…" and he gestured to the stained bedsheets in their plastic bags. "I...it's embarrassing."

"Oh, you mean the, uh? Oh, don't worry about that." Yu said, with a dismissive wave of his hand. "It won't be an issue."

Now Asuramaru looked up at him, puzzled. "But, but why not? I mean…"

Yu sighed, rolling his eyes. The things he did for his guest. Okay. May as well go for broke here. "They won't think it's you, Maru. It's on my bed, and my pillow. If they think anything about it at all, they'll think it's me."

Maru thought for a minute. Then a slow smile started to spread across his face. "They will, won't they? They certainly will." The smile grew into a grin. "Ha haaa!" He held his sides, laughing. Yu just endured it, his own face flaming red. The cleaners probably would think just exactly that. Well, let 'em. So what.

But right in the middle of his cackle, Asuramaru suddenly stopped, his face going gray. A sickly expression came over him, and his cheeks bulged like a squirrel's. "Whoops!" said Yu, scooping him up and heading for the bathroom. "Looks like it's time I introduced you to _another_ use for the toilet…"

A few minutes later: A heaving Asuramaru was kneeling in front of the porcelain god, vomiting everything in his stomach and what looked like a few things that had just happened to be in his general vicinity. "It's alright, Maru, I've got your hair, just go on, let it all out."

Asuramaru did his best, heaving and heaving. "I am _nev-blargh!-never_ touching that dis _gust-blargh!_ -dis _gusting_ mortal stuff ever again! _**Bllaaargh**_ _!"_

After what seemed like an hour, Asuramaru finally began to stop heaving. "I...I think I...I'm okay, now." He still hadn't gotten up from his kneeling pose in front of the toilet.

Yu was standing behind him, keeping Maru's hair up out of the toilet. Part of him was kinda enjoying the sensation; Asuramaru did have wonderful hair. Then he wrenched his attention away from the sensual feel of Maru's hair in his fingers: his guest's needs came first. "Okay, well, come on. Do you need help standing?"

"I...believe I can do that." But just as he stood up, his knees buckled, and Yu caught him. "Evidently, I was…overly optimistic." He looked up at Yu anxiously. "I...I'm not injured or something, am I?"

"No, Maru. You're just exhausted. You just need some rest. I'm putting you to bed."

Yu deposited the Black Demon on his futon and began the work of pulling off and changing the sheets. All the time, Asuramaru watched him, from under the blanket on his futon, with an odd expression on his face. Why was he doing that? It wasn't his usual expression of semihostility… "You okay, over there, Maru?"

"Yeah. I'm...I'm okay." He looked away, almost as though embarrassed at having been seen watching Yu. But that didn't make any sense.

"Look, Maru, if you need something…"

"I'm okay, I tell you! I just...oh, gods!" His face suddenly turned three shades paler than normal.

Instantly, Yu was at his side. "What? What is it, Maru? What's wrong?"

"It...I...oh…!" Maru was turning even paler, and beginning to tremble.

"What is it?!"

But Asuramaru clutched at his head as though trying to keep it from exploding. He made a curious sound, one that made Yu's hair stand up on end: he _whimpered._

Suddenly, he whipped around, looking Yu in the face. "Yu! Please! I, I gotta have some!"

"S-some what?" Yu was concerned, but on his guard at the same time.

"Some blood." A desperate expression came over the vampire demon's face. "I, I gotta have some!" His expression became pleading, and his complexion was turning more pale by the minute.

"Oh, no, you don't! In your condition, I wouldn't trust you to suck on a pineapple! We'd have undead pineapples sprouting little legs and running all over the base…"

"Please, Yu! I, I feel like I'm gonna die!" The demon put his hands to his face…

"Aw, no." Not that routine, thought Yu, even as the first tear trickled down Asuramaru's face. _I know all about that routine. Sayuri used it on me twice…._

… _Yeah, and it worked both times…_

 _Now come on, Yu, be strong and resolute…_

He grimaced, sliding down onto Asuramaru's futon with him. "Here," he said, baring his neck. "Just don't…drain me, okay?"

"Oh, thank you, Yu! I take back everything I said about you!" And Asuramaru threw himself upon Yu, flinging his arms around him. Then, just as his fangs touched Yu's throat, "Well, some of it, anyway."

…..

 _What do you do,_ thought Krul Tepes, _when nothing works?_ That was the curse of leadership. Sometimes she thought it was a worse curse than any magical one.

She was sovereign of the newly-emerged Western State. She had millions of lives depending on her, looking to her for guidance, for leadership. And, for the first time since her ascension to the Rose Throne, she had none to give.

It really is lonely at the top.

The railguns, with their payload of negative matter, had proven to be no more effective than anything else. _We may as well be hurling spitballs._ "My general?" she addressed Ichinose, standing by her side. "I am…open to suggestions." Guren thought he'd never before heard such… _helplessness_ in his Queen's voice.

"My Lady," he said, "in military matters, when one cannot press forward, when the enemy is too strong, one must fall back, find a more defensible base of operations, develop a new strategy."

"Fall back to where? _There is no safe place._ " She leaned on the table in front of them, not from weariness, but from a sudden, crippling feeling of utter _futility_. She had little doubt but that the fortress itself, for all its magically reinforced might, would prove no more safe than any other place. No more than any other place on Earth.

And maybe even beyond.

He turned to her. "Your Majesty. Even in the direst emergency, it is imperative to never show uncertainty to those under you. I suggest you open the doors to the deepest caverns, allow all who can—women and children first, of course—entry into them. Even if _we_ know it is of no use, the people will see it as a sign of hope, a sign of encouragement. And….

"Right now, we all need that. Including you and I."

…..

 _{{Are you still there? Are you still out there?_

 _{{Where are you?_

 _{{I have to find you.}}_

Yu came to a groggy consciousness altogether too aware of the sharp pain in his neck. _Isn't he finished yet?_ But a few more minutes of continued awareness showed him the demon was nowhere in evidence. It seemed like…he remembered something from before he awoke. But then he shrugged. A vampire's saliva not only contained an anticoagulant, but also a contact narcotic, which helped paralyze the prey, and actually served to make the vampire's predation more survivable. Food that thrashes around is, after all, likely to injure itself more so than the attack itself would. So it wasn't all that unusual to have strange dreams right before awakening.

Still…it had seemed like this was a very _important_ dream…

He was lying in a pool of dried blood. A rather large pool, he noted. _Okay, Maru, we are definitely gonna have to nail down some solid definitions of just what people mean when they say things like "go easy on that."_

But he was beginning to get worried. No Maru "Maru? Where…" he heard the softest of sounds from the bathroom, "…"

He got up, noticing that he was now sporting a clumsy bandage on his neck, and crossed the room to the bathroom door. Of course, it followed that Asuramaru would want to shower off after his feast. And he would, most probably, need his pajamas specially cleaned, too.

At least, Yu rather _hoped_ he would. The only way they wouldn't, would be if Asuramaru had removed his pajamas completely while lying on top of an unconscious Yu. Considering what he'd recently done with Yu's pillow, Yu really didn't like to think about that particular scenario. But he winced at the thought of the cleaner's bills. Still, bloody pajamas were better than the other. That was just uhm. Well, something. He'd figure all that out later, once his concerns about his supernatural houseguest were allayed. "Maru?" Again, a small unidentifiable sound from within. To Yu, it was more like someone inside shifting slightly at hearing the words, rather than making any actual sound. "Maru? Are you alright?" He couldn't hear the shower running.

"Yes," said a very small and very un-alright voice.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Yu sighed. "What did I do this time?"

"Nothing."

"Okay, now I know something's wrong. Come out of there."

"No!"

"Yes, you will!" The worry in his voice was unmistakable. "You're not still sick or anything, are you?"

"No, just…go away!"

"No, Maru. Come on out of there. Are you dressed?"

"No, I…look, just go away and leave me alone, will you?" His voice sounded muffled, as though his hands were over his face.

"No, I won't. Something's wrong, and I can't help you if I don't know what it is. Now put something on and come out. That's an order."

Shortly, the door opened and Asuramaru very reluctantly came out. He was wearing nothing but a large bath towel, pulled up underneath his arms. Somehow, he looked even smaller than before, to Yu's anxious gaze. "I, I…" He gestured back into the bathroom, where his bloodsoaked pajamas lay on the tiles.

"Don't worry about 'em. Now come over here." And he led Asuramaru over to the bedside. Sat him down and sat beside him. Asuramaru hitched away ever so slightly, a move that Yu noticed. He refused to meet Yu's gaze, instead clutching at the top of his towel. The demon looked so miserable; Yu couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Was he over his hangover yet? Yu rubbed his neck, wincing. "Thanks for the bandage, by the way."

"It was the least I could do."

Yu did a double-take. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with Asuramaru?"

Once again, the demon put his hands over his face. "I'm pathetic!"

"What?"

Asuramaru took his hands away from his face, and clasped them together in front of him, a pleading expression on his face. "'Oh, please, mister, I'm a vampire, can I please have some of your blood?' I mean, I'm supposed to be a _Black Demon_ , for gods' sake, and here I am, reduced to actually _begging for blood?_ How much more _pathetic_ could I _possibly_ _get_?!" Once again, he put his hands to his face. Yu got the impression he wasn't so much crying as hiding. "I'm _beyond_ pathetic!"

Yu put his arm around him. "Look, you're not-*"

"And don't go trying to make me feel better! I _deserve_ to feel horrible! I mean, _look at me!_ "

Yu's arm didn't budge. "First, I am _not_ _gonna_ let you go on beating yourself up. I wouldn't let somebody _else_ beat you up and I'm not about to let _you_ do it either." He drew an unresisting Asuramaru onto his shoulder. The demon sniffled. "Remember? We were _partners._ You stood by me—yeah, for your own reasons, but still—and I'm gonna stand by you. Second, I…look, you're new to this whole 'physical body' thing. I mean, you've been a mental concept for eons. For _eons,_ Maru! You've only been physical for a few days now. _Of course_ you're a fish out of water!"

"A what?"

"Means you're not in your own element. Back in the spirit realm, you were the standing definition of power and badassery, but here, it, it…well, it just takes some time, that's all! Look, I don't know what happened, but it's like you left some of your powers over on the other side. But I'm sure it's only temporary! Like…like jet lag or something. I bet you'll get 'em back any day now, and then you'll destroy the entire world."

Asuramaru looked up at him out of the crook of his arm. Once again, there was that peculiar expression on his face, one other than anger. "You…you think so?"

"Of course I do." He turned Asuramaru's face up to his, so the demon could see his expression of sincerity. Asuramaru actually smiled up at him, an expression Yu found he'd like to see more of.

Their faces were so very close…

"Uh, here," Yu reached up to Asuramaru's towel. "Careful. Your, uh, towel's about to slip."

" _Oh!_ Uh, right! We, we, uh, can't have that!" And he hitched the towel up higher over his chest.

"Right," agreed Yu, both their faces flaming red. He didn't really know why. "We, uh, we can't have that."

 _To be continued…_


	6. Chapter 6: Life and Death

Owari No Seraph / Seraph of the End

The Taming of the Demon, Chapter 6: Life and Death

….…

"Al _right,_ " said Yu, looking around the apartment. The residue from his giving of his blood to a hungover Asuramaru wasn't everywhere, but it was close. "Now. What to do with your stuff…not only your pajamas, but your futon is soaked. It'll all have to go to the cleaners."

"But won't that be a giveaway? This 'cover' thing you're always talking about? I mean, all that blood…" asked Asuramaru nervously. They were both busy rolling up both futon and pajamas into separate plastic bags to be carried to the cleaners. The demon was still wearing the bath towel, hitched high up over his chest. It covered him, but Yu couldn't help noticing that, for a guy, Asuramaru sure had a terrific ass…

He wrenched his gaze away. "No, it'll be alright." He grunted and stuffed the futon in; bits and pieces of dried blood crackled off onto the floor. _Some vacuuming will definitely be in order,_ he thought. "This is a men's quarter, Maru. The cleaners are used to way more embarrassing things than blood." _Of course, they'll get that, too. But it can't be helped. Guess I'll take that hit, too._

….

The couch in the other room proved to be too short to sleep on comfortably. "Okay, I know what we'll do. Look." Yu went and turned the covers down on his bed. "I'll show you. This bed's big enough for us both. You sleep on that side, and I'll sleep on this one. You've got your own blanket—thank God we didn't get anything on that—and I've got mine."

"Er…are you sure about this?"

"Of course. Done it lots of times." _With other guys._

 _And you_ _are_ _another guy._

 _Sort of?_

"Now, come on." The whole cleaning process had taken a good part of the day; Yu had called in sick. "I'm exhausted. All that took a lot out of m—uh, I mean, uh, I need some rest. Your stuff should be ready tomorrow morning."

…..

"So," said Guren, hesitantly. He and Krul Tepes were walking along the corridor deep within the hidden complex, back to where his division of the soldiers of Moon Demon Company resided. Perhaps the Queen's mind needed to be taken off…matters…for a bit. "Your brother appears to be in the physical world now. I didn't think that was possible." That was the whole point of the demons attached to cursed weapons trying to take over the bodies of those to whom they were bonded; if they could have materialized in this realm to begin with, they'd have done so, without the trouble of going through mortals.

Krul sighed. "It didn't _used_ to be possible. Apparently, it is now. I should have figured it would be Ashura who'd be the first. He always was a bit accident-prone. We have to find out how this happened. General," she turned to him, "I want you to get your people ready. Have them ready to go at the first opportunity. If these reports are even halfway true, my brother, the Accident Waiting to Happen AND your former Private Seraph Ground Zero may need…well, let's just say some hasty relocation. Not only for their sake, but also for the sake of the base and possibly the entire countryside several miles in every direction."

He saluted. Finally. Something he could actually _do_ something about!

…

That night, lying next to Yu in his bed, Asuramaru went over the previous day's events. It hadn't been so bad. At least, he guessed it hadn't been. A lot of it was a blur. Too bad nobody had died.

But now he found his mind racing from one unpleasant subject to another. He worried, lying there in the dark. What if he never got back to the spirit plane? What if he was doomed to wander this mortal world forever? He hadn't lied to Yu; he _did_ have family. Krul Tepes was his sister, but they had no relationship he could exploit. In fact, should he show up at her door, she'd probably laugh and slam it in his face.

Was he doomed to wander this enormous pile of shit called a world, forever? Homeless? The thought chilled him, and he shivered. A homeless demon.

Worse, he could be mortal now. He might age, grow old and die here, still homeless. He could see himself, aged and infirm, fawningly grateful for the smallest charity of others just for his basic needs, hobbling to some pile of garbage bags he called his "bed," hoping for just one more night…or perhaps hoping this night would be his last. He felt a tear coursing down the corner of his face at the thought. Surely, surely not. But…

Back on the astral plane, where he was master, he'd been alone, but he'd been used to it, or so he thought. But now…

Now he was discovering that it was one thing to be alone when you're all by yourself, and there were no others around, and when you were accustomed to that condition. But it was another thing altogether to be alone in a world of people who weren't.

He tried to keep from seeing that picture of himself, growing old and alone, watching the humans laughing, playing, and having a good time with their friends…and he, himself, facing his days and nights alone. It would be like a child looking in on a bakery, licking his lips…but knowing the delicious food inside was forever beyond his reach.

Was this what humans called _loneliness?_ If so, it really _sucked._

 _I'm having what the humans call a pity party,_ he told himself, trying to change his train of thought. _And I'm doing a really marvelous job of it._

He plucked at and fondled the gold hairpin Yu had given him. It really was marvelous workmanship, and solid gold, too. Too bad it was only a loaner.

He glanced over at Yu lying on his side of the bed, his bare back turned to him. Asuramaru turned, softly, and lay with his head propped on one arm, watching. He was sorely tempted to wake Yu up and share his concerns with him, just to have someone to talk to. But even as the thought crossed his mind, he immediately dismissed it. No, the crazy human would probably just laugh at him, order him to shut up, and go back to his slumber.

Without really thinking about it, he shifted over a little closer, until he was right alongside him. It really was a very soft bed, a futon over a mattress. He shivered slightly; he was still a little cold. It was no doubt warmer up under Yu's blanket.

Ever so slowly he slid under the blanket, fully expecting Yu to wake up at any moment and demand an explanation. He rehearsed his lies: it was cold, his blanket must have a hole in it, he could clearly feel a draft, he thought he felt a bug…none of which really convinced _him_ , but maybe if he told them with enough sincerity…

Come to think of it, why _was_ he doing this, anyway?

He lay, face up, now underneath both blankets, on Yu's bed, one hand across his chest, the other arm behind his head, thinking. This was better. A lot better, in fact. He'd removed a barrier, however minor, between him and the crazy human, and Yu's mere presence—crazy or not—seemed to sooth his thoughts. Yes, much better. He didn't feel quite so, so _alone_ anymore, like this.

His demon senses could feel Yu's nearness. His preternatural sense of hearing could sense the rhythm of Yu's steady breathing: in and out, in and out. He found that relaxing.

And, hm.

He turned over, facing Yu's back, drawing closer to him. The human still didn't wake up, and Asuramaru was hyperalert for any signs of his awakening. But the human seemed to be in deep sleep. Asuramaru wondered what he was dreaming about. He ran his finger along Yu's arm; the human did not awaken.

He pressed up against Yu as much as he dared. Hm, yes, very warm indeed. And he could sense the flow of Yu's delicious blood just beneath the surface of his skin. He knew that, due to the curse, he couldn't partake of any of it without Yu's permission…but…was there maybe something else he could do, to increase this wonderful sensation? As long as he didn't actually try to _hurt_ Yu…

Making as little motion as possible, the demon carefully took off his pajama top and pressed his naked chest up against Yu's bare back. Greatly daring, he ever so slllooowwly slipped his hand underneath Yu's arm and put his arm around him, as carefully as he could, drawing them closer…

Aahhhhh….yessss. This was nice. This was reeeeeal nice. He rested his face up against Yu's shoulder, lightly rubbing his cheek up against the crazy human, eyes closed in ecstasy; yes, very nice, indeed. He could feel Yu's wonderful skin pressed up against his own, feel Yu's breathing, feel the ever so slight _thrumming_ vibration of his blood just beneath his skin, the steady _ka-thump, ka-thump_ of his heart. So very nice. He dared enough to lick Yu's shoulder, as lightly as he could. The taste was almost as good as the blood beneath it. Such wonderful sensations.

And suddenly, a sleeping Yu's hand grasped Asuramaru's own, his fingers closing around the demon's hand. Asuramaru started, thinking the human was awake, but his senses informed him of just the opposite. He relaxed; this was …very nice, too. He returned the gesture, closing his fingers around Yu's. Yes, most pleasant, indeed. Idly, he wondered what it would be like if the both of them were totally naked. That would be even better. Feeling Yu spooned up against him… Skin on lovely skin…

He pulled himself in as close as he dared, resting his cheek on Yu's shoulder, on that wonderful skin, not daring to pull in too close, lest he awaken Yu, and he felt Yu's desire rising. Oh, this was delightful. Finally, some feelings, some desire. Not exactly lustful desire, but desire, nonetheless. And…now that he examined it, yeah, a bit of lust in there, lust that was rising, too. That made it even better. A little sexual lust…soooo good. He hadn't felt this good in such a looong time…

The feelings of desire rose. No doubt Yu was dreaming of some intimate encounter he'd had, probably with that stuck-up princess Sayuri, and Asuramaru was feeling his desire for her, as he dreamed. He luxuriated in the feeling, like a plant in the warm sunshine.

Then, with a start, he realized it wasn't _Yu's_ desire he was feeling. _It was his own_. And, to his horror, he realized it wasn't just his _desire_ that was rising…

As rapidly as he could without waking his human host, he withdrew and rolled over to his side of the bed. Covered himself up as thoroughly and completely as he could.

He found himself shivering, even though he was warm enough.

...

The next day: they were once again in the base's commissary. Asuramaru had finally mastered chopsticks, and was discovering sushi for the first time. "Delicious," he said, between mouthfuls. "I had no idea humans had things like this."

"I guess we primitive humans do come up with some good dishes every once in a while."

Asuramaru frowned. "You don't have to be so sarcastic about it. I was trying to pay you a compliment."

Yu sighed. "I'm sorry. I guess that did came off a bit…never mind." He saw Asuramaru eyeing him strangely. "What is it?"

"Nothing. Just…" _I know I've been a real bitch lately._

 _Maybe I need to make some changes._

"Nothing." Last night, he'd come very, very close to doing something he'd _never_ done before, with _any_ one, at least not consciously, and it both scared and intrigued him at the same time. He wanted so desperately to ask Yu about it—but instead he applied himself to his food, popping a rice ball into his mouth. "Say." He indicated with his chin, "Isn't that your old girlfriend, over there?" Sure enough, Yu could see Sayuri Hanayori looking their way. Rather suspiciously, he thought.

"We're just friends."

Asuramaru smiled a naughty smile. "But you weren't _always '_ just friends,' were you?"

He frowned. "We _…_ had a relationship. I mean, we…went together for a while."

"And of course," teased the demon, "that's as _far_ as it went, I'm _suuuurre!_ "

"Well, of course!"

"Then who _do_ you love?" He rested his chin on his interlaced fingers. 'You may as well admit it, you know. I'm a demon, remember? Emotions are my specialty. I can sense them." He grinned, looking at Yu's chest. "There's sure _something_ going on in there!"

"I don't know what you're talk-*" But at that exact moment, Yu was saved by the chiming of his cell. "Ah, gotta take this." The demon stuck his tongue out at him: _This is not over, you know._

It was Ansen. "Captain, I need you to come to my office. Your friend Mikaela just got back with some bad news."

"Bad news, sir?" Asuramaru looked up. Anything involving bad news always interested him.

"Yes. This line isn't secure, so get up here pronto. We've got some plans to make."

"Yes, sir. I'll be there in," he consulted his watch, "five minutes." He closed his comm, and turned to Asuramaru, who was watching him with an uplifted eyebrow. "Gotta go, duty calls. Will you be okay here, by yourself?"

"Of course I will." Truth was, the demon was a trifle nervous being out without Yu. _But that's stupid._ He'd rather die than admit such a thing. _I don't need any human's help. Especially a crazy human._

Yu noticed. "Maybe I have time to get you back to the room…"

"No, just go on. I heard you say, 'five minutes.' I'll just wait here." He saw Yu's expression of concern, concern for _him,_ and not just for what he might do. It made him feel…a little odd, inside. He'd never seen that look in anyone's eyes before, at least not directed at him. "I'll be fine. I won't kill anyone or drain anybody's blood or possess anyone's body or anything. I promise. Now go on. I'll be here when you come back."

….

Ansen's office: Mikaela was waiting, seated, dressed in his usual white vampire's outfit. Vampires traditionally wore white clothing, not only as an indication of identity, but also because it deflected the sun's rays better, and one thing the old legends about vampires had gotten right: vampires and solar radiation didn't get along very well. His uniform was dusty; evidently, he'd come straight from the field. "Yes, General?" said Yu, saluting smartly.

"At ease," said the general, returning Yu's salute. "And have a seat. We've just gotten word of a Purifier battalion less than thirty klicks from here. Word is," and here he nodded to Mika, "that they intend to attack in three days. That in itself might not be so bad, but…they have the Apocalypse virus."

Yu's face paled. Most of the base's compliment was out on patrol, and while the base itself was as well defended as any place on Earth, he knew the Purifiers wouldn't attack unless they felt they had a very good chance of getting through those defenses, somehow. Overwhelming numbers was their usual tactic, but rumor had it that they'd managed to acquire samples of the original Apocalypse virus itself, and had somehow changed it into something even more lethal, something that affected vampires as well as humans. Yu knew they were just crazy enough to launch a doomsday virus right into the base itself, even if it would kill them, too, since they considered the humans inside to be "consorting" with the "unholy" vampires. No price was too great to keep them from doing as much damage as they could, and it was in keeping with their mentality that they would take great delight in seeing the humans (and vampires) within the base vomit blood and die _first,_ even if it meant they were next in line. Sometimes Yu wondered if suicidal sadism wasn't a requirement for being a Purifier. "Whatever the cost," Ansen was saying, "We must hold this base until reinforcements arrive." Mika and Yu looked at each other. They didn't have to have to read Ansen's unspoken words: _"If they arrive at all."_

It was a glum Yu that left Ansen's office. He'd hoped that Mika would be able to join him back in the commissary, but was also glad he couldn't. Mika would be sure to recognize his guest, and things could only go downhill from there. He'd best get Asuramaru back to the room…

He turned a corner, and came face to face with a horrified Sayuri. "Yu," she began, "Please, please tell me it isn't so!"

"What isn't so?" He already knew it _had_ to involve Asuramaru. Leave the demon alone for five minutes and the entire world was in danger.

"You…and…that demon…"

He sighed. "Well, yes. It seems I managed to bring him over into the physical plane. I'm trying to find a way to send him back…look, don't tell anyone about this, okay? I mean, it would only cause mass confusion, and possibly worse than that. After all, I _did_ steal the sword, and I'm sure the brass wouldn't appreciate that, even though everything that followed was an acci-*"

Her face was more pale than he'd ever seen it. "No, not that! He said…he said…" And she told him just what the demon had said…

 _Earlier_ : While Yu was in the meeting, Asuramaru sampled some of the other dishes. Then he became aware of a presence to his side. Looking up, he saw that Sayuri princess herself standing right by him. The one who'd given Yu that _solid gold hairpin,_ the one that was a _family heirloom_ , no less. The one who'd been in a _relationship_ with him. Oh, yes, _that_ one. How had she gotten so close without him sensing her?

"I know you," she began, hesitantly. "I know who you are. I thought you looked familiar! You're Asuramaru, the demon, aren't you?"

"Yes," he said, calmly. That had been their plan: if accosted, simply tell the truth. A lie would be too easily found out. "Yes, I am." _What of it?_

"Oh, God. Please tell me Yu isn't fooling around with demons again!"

"Well, I hope not!" Asuramaru exploded. Somehow, that phrase just set him off. Then he thought. He could have a little fun with this human. After all, she had no business breaking into their lives. She was history to Yu, he'd said so himself. And if, by some chance, she was trying to change that, well, he knew a good way to fix that. "I mean," he said, turning away from her slightly, careful to control his face and voice, "I mean, what with all we've meant to each other, all these years, I'd hate to think he'd just, just throw all that away for the sake of an afternoon's _dalliance_!" He put just the right inflection, the right nuance of _hurt_ into the last words. He stole a glance at the human.

It was really hilarious. First, her face turned red. Then it turned pale. Then it turned red again, like an old style traffic light. She put her hands to her mouth and made a strangled sound as she rushed off. He noticed the rest of the people in the commissary looking on. Sayuri's comments had been loud enough to attract their attention.

Now: Yu was livid. "That…that…I don't know what to call him. _Damn_ him! Look, Sayuri, not a word of that was true, okay? We don't…I mean, we aren't…oh, hell, you know what I mean!" He rushed past her. It would be all over the base by now.

A furious Yu slammed back into the commissary, his expression enough to kill any lesser being all by itself, looking around the commissary. People were staring; Sayuri's concerned questions and Asuramaru's calm answers had been just loud enough to carry in the confined space. Already there was a hubbub, people were beginning to stare. "Okay," Yu said in a savage whisper, "Wanna tell me what _that_ was all about?"

"What _what_ was all about?" The demon was picking nonchalantly at his orange chicken.

"You know perfectly well 'what.' Don't try to act innocent with me! Why did you—oh, what am I saying?" He laid his head on his elbows. "I know exactly why you did it. You just wanted to fuck with her head, and fuck with me at the same time."

At his words, and the way he said them, it seemed like something just _dropped_ inside Asuramaru. Almost like something had died. "Believe me," he said, heatedly, "the _last_ thing I want to do, is fuck with _you_. But if _that's_ what you're so concerned about, then by all means, let me help you out." He stood up and addressed the servicemen and women in the cafeteria. "Hey, everyone! Listen up! Yu and I…we are _not fucking!_ Understand? We _do not_ fuck!" He swiveled around, while a stunned Yu stared, pale, open-mouthed. "When we go to bed each night, holding each other so very close," he hugged himself, rolling his eyes histrionically, "cuddling up the way we do, _we_ _do not fmMMPHH!"_ Asuramaru might or might not have had greater physical strength, but Yu had the advantage of surprise and leverage. He dragged the struggling demon out of the mess hall and back to his room.

Once there, he practically threw him across the room. _"What,"_ he demanded, " _are you doing?!"_ Then he reconsidered. "On second thought, don't bother telling me!" Asuramaru had opened his mouth. "Shut it! I don't want to hear from you for the rest of the day! Just…just go into the next room! _Keep the hell away from me!"_

Asuramaru was stunned by the force of Yu's anger. "But, it was just a j-*"

" _I don't care! I've had enough of you! Get out of my sight!"_ And he stormed into the main living room and threw himself into a chair, his face redefining the word "stormy."

Asuramaru found himself feeling _embarrassed_ for the first time in centuries. The human had been kind to him—true, he was responsible for his being here, but still—and he'd gone and publicly embarrassed him. _Deliberately._

Why had he done that?

Due to the nature of the order, he couldn't enter the room where Yu was sitting, but he stood at the doorway. "Would it help," he began, "if I said-*"

" _Just shuttup! I'm tired of you! I do everything I can to make life easier for you, to protect you, and all you do is whine and complain, and now this!"_ He got up and rounded on the demon. "I actually dared to think of you as a person! A real person! Not human, I knew that, but, but a person, nonetheless! But I was wrong! All you are is a collection of spite and malice in human form!" Asuramaru drew back, shocked at the sheer force of the human's anger. His senses were showing Yu as being a volcano of anger.

"I, I'm sorry, I didn't-*"

" _You did, too! Don't give me that! I…"_ He turned away, literally shaking with anger. "Look, just…go away. Don't talk to me anymore tonight. I'm…" He headed back towards the couch, slammed himself down into it, leaving one very shocked demon behind him.

Bedtime: Asuramaru quietly donned his pink pajamas, lay down on his futon by Yu's bed, and waited. Yu would have to come in shortly; this was his bed, after all. Perhaps then they could talk.

Asuramaru was surprised beyond measure at how _remorseful_ Yu's words, and, more importantly, Yu's _anger_ had made him. He'd intended it as a joke—well, sort of—but Yu had been so _incensed_ by it…and Asuramaru was coming to realize just how much the human's good will meant to him. It actually _hurt_ , to think that Yu might still be so angry at him.

Maybe what was a harmless joke for a demon wasn't so harmless with humans.

And maybe his sense of humor just plain needed some work.

Yu had gone out of his way to make the Black Demon comfortable the whole time he'd been here, going to extremes. He'd shown him every imaginable kindness. He'd bought him clothes, food—even going so far as to offer him that delicious, _delicious_ blood—provided him with shelter, protected him from not only the brass at the base but also from whatever other hostile elements there were, taken him wherever he'd wanted to go, even indulged his whims…at one time, Asuramaru would have considered that his just due. After all, the human _was_ responsible for bringing him over, wasn't he?

But…

Well, anyway, Yu would come in to bed shortly, and then he could tell him he was sorry.

Yu did not come to bed that night.

…..

Morning: Asuramaru blinked at the sunlight pouring in through the window. He hadn't slept a wink the night before, waiting for Yu to come in. That hadn't happened.

He got dressed and went to the door to the suite's living room. No Yu. Where could he be? _Come on, Yu! I'm sorry! I said I was sorry!_ Yu couldn't know what it took for the Black Demon to admit something like that. _Come on, where are you?_

 _I'm starting to get worried, here!_

 _It was only a joke! I didn't realize you'd feel that strongly about it!_ And yet, he told himself, really, in a way, he had.

It had just been a spur of the moment thing, just tweak that slut Sayuri's nose a little…and what would have been the harm?

But what followed…he was now coming to recognize that his response, there in the cafeteria, his little "announcement," had been, maybe, just maybe, a little over the top. Why? Why had he done it? Why really? Had it really been "just" a joke?

Could there have been a touch of _jealousy_ there?

But now the joke was on Asuramaru. _Yu, come on! Won't you at least let me say I'm sorry?_

 _Won't you?_

" _I actually thought of you as a person! A real person!"_ he'd said. _"Not human, I knew that, but, but a person, nonetheless! But I was wrong! All you are is a collection of spite and malice in human form!"_ He'd said that. Could he have been right?

 _Was_ that all there was to him?

There was a human expression: "You are what you eat." For more centuries than he could remember, Asuramaru had feasted on humanity's darkest emotions. Could it be, that, in all that time, he'd _changed_? That he'd become the very thing Yu accused him of being?

Did he really want to be that?

And why was he even asking himself that question?

And so Asuramaru, a Black Demon, considered one of the most powerful and dangerous of all demons, sat on edge of the bed where Yu should have been last night, feeling utterly miserable for the first time in his entire life. What now? What could he do? How could he make things better?

Simple truth: he couldn't.

The only person in the entire universe who'd ever shown him any genuine kindness whatsoever wanted nothing to do with him anymore. He'd driven Yu away. " _All you are is a collection of spite and malice in human form!"_ He'd actually said that, meaning every word. Those words had _hurt_ , primarily because Asuramaru was coming to believe they just might be true.

What do you do, when the truth about you hurts so bad? How far and how fast do you have to run to get away from yourself?

He sat there on the bed, his chest actually hurting. Was this what humans called _heartache?_ It certainly fit the description.

He pulled out the hairpin, the solid gold hairpin Yu had bought back to give to Sayuri. He'd bought it back because it meant something to her, and she was coming to mean something to him. So the pin meant a lot to him, a reminder of a past relationship. Now that his attention was drawn to it, Asuramaru's senses could tell there were some very positive emotions still attached to the pin: emotions of love. It still had a lot of sentimental value to Yu.

And he'd given it to Asuramaru, to use as his very own. Even if it was just a loan, still, it said something that he'd loan the Black Demon something of such value to him.

He remembered the other night, when he'd slept in the same bed with Yu, how good it had felt, how _comforting_ the human's presence had been. Well, he'd never feel that again. He pulled up Yu's body pillow, clutched it to him, along with the gold hairpin. He could smell, very faintly, a whisper of Yu's scent on the pillow, the faintest trace of his emotions, and it reminded him of that night, his arm around Yu, holding him close, their fingers intertwined. How so very _good_ it had felt. A tear trickled down his face. _No, this can't be happening. I'm a demon. I can't feel this way._

But he did.

He'd never have that again. He'd killed whatever relationship they might've once had, all in a moment of thoughtlessness. Just a thoughtless prank…that had completely torpedoed both their lives.

Now it had to be common knowledge that Yu had stolen the sword from its locked case. Now it was all over the base that he'd managed, somehow, to conjure up the demon within the blade. And now, because of his thoughtless joke, everybody was convinced they were engaged in some sort of physical, sexual relationship.

Demons who attached themselves to mortals through cursed weapons were considered allies, in an uneasy sort of way. But demons not officially attached to human soldiers were, at best, _extremely_ suspect. They might even be considered enemies, since demons, as a rule, didn't make friends. What would happen to Yu?

He would certainly be, at the very least, prosecuted for the theft of the cursed weapon, a major crime in itself. But if the upper echelons decided Asuramaru was an enemy—and they very well could—then that meant Yu had consorted with an enemy. He could be court-martialed.

He might even be executed.

That last thought sent a chill throughout Asuramaru's whole body. His breath stopped. Yu, killed? All because of what Asuramaru had considered a harmless joke?

Asuramaru had just _thought_ he'd been miserable before. Now he clutched Yu's pillow to him, the only reminder of the happiness he'd felt, the only thing in this world or any other, left to remind him of the human who'd genuinely tried to befriend him, and cried, great heaving sobs of sorrow. _I'm sorry, Yu! I didn't mean it that way! I'm so sorry!_

But there was no one there. No Yu. No friend.

He looked across the room. There, still in its upright stand, was the sword. With a thought, he summoned the weapon to him, not letting go of the pillow. He drew the blade from its sheath. The temper line ran the entire length of the blade. He knew it was very sharp.

He lay down upon his futon, a gift from his only friend, the only friend he'd ever have, the friend he'd driven away, still holding the precious pillow. And the sword. Yes, it was very very sharp.

It would only sting a little.

….

"It's blown, Mika! Totally blown! That little guy…!" Yu held his head in his hands. "What _was_ he _thinking?"_ A disheveled Yu had met Mika at the commissary. Of course, by that time, Mika had heard all about the incident. Yu had the strongest drink he could think of in front of him; Mika had a bulb of blood. Blood had to be served in bulbs, with attached straws, to the humans' vampire allies, since exposure to the air made it coagulate. Mika had become a vampire because Yu had offered him his blood, back when the Vampire Wars were still raging. Mika had been driven nearly insane by his bloodlust, but had restrained himself until Yu had willingly offered himself to his friend, unwilling to see him suffer so. Yu had always felt a little guilty for the part he'd played in Mika's turning, but Mika had brushed it off. ("I'm glad it was you, Yu." To Yu's raised eyebrow, he'd said, "If it had been anyone else, I probably would have killed them.")

"Okay, Yu, hold on. Just hold on." Mika put out a calming hand on Yu's. "Now tell me everything, from the start to the finish." He'd heard the rumors, of course…it would be virtually impossible to find someone who _hadn't,_ by this time, but he knew better than to go on rumors.

Haltingly, with stops and starts and moans, Yu related the entire sordid affair. Yu had gotten to the point where he was telling Mika about the demon's first bowel movement, and Mika chuckled. "I would have loved to've seen that."

Yu frowned. "It really wasn't all that funny. I mean, poor little guy. He was a vampire before he was a demon, right? Do vampires do number two?" Mika shook his head. "So that means he's _never_ taken a dump. _I'd_ ' _ve_ freaked completely out. All things considered, I think he handled it pretty well." He didn't notice Mika's eyes narrowing at him. Yu's automatic defense of the demon had told him more than Yu had intended.

"Well, anyway," he said, "You somehow managed to bring Asuramaru, a Black Demon…into the physical world? I didn't know that was possible."

Yu knocked back a huge gulp of his vodka and orange juice. He'd need it, for when Command summoned him to account for his actions. "I didn't know it was, either. I have no idea how it happened. I intended to send some things over there, not bring him here."

"Why'd you do it? I don't mean bring him over. I mean, why even bother with him at all? After all, he did his best to possess you, _break_ you, turn you against your friends."

Yu sighed, nursing his drink. " _I_ don't know. Maybe guilt? I mean, back when I was trying to bond with him, I told him I'd be his friend if he'd give me the power to save you. And he said, 'you mean, you'll love me?' And, yeah, I know demons despise love and other positive emotions, and, yeah, I know we both knew I was lying through my teeth, but…Mika, for just a second there…just for a second…it was like he looked _hopeful_. Hopeful, maybe, that he'd found a friend.

"I…I kept remembering that. It bothered me."

Mika was silent for a moment. Then, "Sooo…now what? The entire base is in an uproar. Everybody's assuming the worst: that this is some sort of an invasion from the demon realm. And, worse: it somehow involves you. People are saying you've been physically seduced by the demon, and you've conspired to open some sort of, of, I don't know, some sort of gateway or portal for more. That's balderdash, and Command knows it—at least, I hope they do—but it's all over the place. I spoke with Sayuri, asked her to keep it quiet until I could talk to you, but rumors are still spreading. What will you do now?"

"I…I don't know." He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "I mean, what _can_ I do? I'm _responsible_ for the little twerp. He's here because of me. _He_ didn't break any rules, _I_ did. I can't just, just turn him over to the brass. They'll lock him up for longer than forever. And right now, as far as I know, he's vulnerable. I…there's been no evidence of him having any of his old powers, besides that dream stuff…."

"None that you saw."

"Right, none that I saw. It's true he's made my life a living hell ever since he materialized here…"

"So why can't you just turn him over? Tell the brass what happened? Worst they could charge you with then, would be theft. You might even argue against that, somehow. Dream influence or something. Just turn him over. Problem solved."

Yu looked more miserable that Mika had ever seen him. "I, I can't, Mika. Yeah, he's a demon. Yeah, he's made life hell for me. But, but…I, I don't know. It's like I feel…I don't know. _Some_ thing. Maybe guilt. Maybe I just feel responsible, I don't know. I don't want to see anything bad happen to him, in spite of everything."

"Why not?" Another sip of blood.

"I'm honestly not sure why. Maybe, maybe I had hoped to be…his friend."

Mika reached over and again laid his hand on Yu's, the one not occupied by his drink. "Yu…he's a demon. He's not human. His _soul_ is different. He doesn't have what it takes to be a friend."

"People once said the same thing about vampires, Mika. Soulless predators. And now look." He pointed towards a table on the far side of the room, where a white-cloaked vampire was laughing and joking with two human friends, a man and a woman. "We have vampire allies. You should know; you were one of the first."

"Yeah, but I was once human. Vampires were once human. We can remember what it's like. Demons _can't._ That's what makes them _demons,_ Yu."

Yu looked so miserable, Mika wanted to just reach over and hold him. "I know, Mika. But, somehow, it doesn't matter. I promised to be _his_ friend, regardless, so, so I guess, really, no matter what happens to me, I guess I'll just have to suck it up and take what's coming to m-*" Suddenly, his eyes went wide, pupils dilating, and his drink crashed to the floor. But before it had even hit the ground, he'd literally _exploded_ out of his chair, and raced for the door. Even Mika's vampire speed couldn't keep up.

Yu reached his quarters, and smashed his way through the door without even bothering to unlock it, a panting Mika right behind him. He ran into the bedroom…

…where a very still Asuramaru lay, on his futon, clutching Yu's pillow, the sword in one hand, an ever-expanding pool of blood beneath him.

….

" _Sayuri? Mika here. Can you come to room 171-B? Like, ASAP?"_

"Of course, Mika. But's what's wrong?" 171-B was way off the beaten path.

" _I'll have to tell you when you get here. Just get here, and don't let anybody know you're coming, or where, okay?"_

 _That_ was astounding. But Sayuri knew Mika wouldn't make such a request unless it was very important. Something told her it somehow involved Yu.

171-B was on the lowest level of the base, in an area used mostly for storage. The architects who'd originally planned out the base had, however, made allowances for additional suites, in case the base was needed to house civilians, during the vampire-human wars. It had never been used.

She arrived at the designated door. Mika was standing just outside, in his usual white hooded garment. He was leaning up against the wall by the door, arms crossed, waiting for her. "Okay, I'm here. What's so important?"

He relayed the story Yu had told him to her, up to Asuramaru's prank on her. Her face, by turns, grew pale, then red, then fearful. "So he _is_ consorting with demons again! But how'd he get that demon here, to the physical plane?"

"Even he doesn't know that. I've asked around, as discreetly as I could, but got nowhere. Anyway, reason I called you here is, I'm gonna need some help."

"Help? Doing what?"

"Once Asuramaru's presence becomes known here, Command is gonna come down on them both like a ton of bricks. I…I can only think of one option for him."

"You mean, turn that thing over? What's the problem? Get rid of it. Tell Command it influenced him in his dreams or something. Problem solved."

"No. Problem anything but solved." He looked down at the floor. "I didn't tell you the rest of the story. I figured, you know, picture, thousand words, etc." He made to open the door.

"But what could be so complic-* And she gasped.

Because the opened door revealed a makeshift hospital bed, with plastic bags of blood hanging from a rack. But what drew Sayuri's attention was the occupant of that makeshift bed.

Or rather, occupants. Asuramaru was lying in the bed, wrist heavily bandaged, blood and other fluids from the bags flowing into his arm via a complex set of syringes. He appeared to be either sleeping or unconscious.

Yu was lying next to him, on the same bed, his arm around the Black Demon, holding him close, also asleep. Asuramaru's arm, the one with the tubes attached to it, was resting on Yu's chest, as far as the tubes tied to it would let it go, and Yu's hand was clasped over his. Both of them looked to be perfectly at peace. Asuramaru was even smiling, a little. "Now you see," said Mika.

"They…they…"

"Yeah. I don't think either of them—certainly not Yu—realized it until we…found Asuramaru in Yu's room, his arm sliced open. He nearly succeeded, Sayuri. Apparently, he's mortal, or at least, _he_ thinks he is. Yu hasn't left his side since. I suggested to him that he needed to get some rest, and he said, yeah, that might be a good idea. He was three-quarters asleep at the time. I turned to open the door for him, turned back, and saw…this." He gestured at the sleeping pair. "I think we can sorta fill in the blanks, don't you?"

"He…he's in love with him. With Asuramaru. But that's…Mika, demons can't love! They hate emotions like that!"

Mika gestured, pointing to the expression on the sleeping demon's face. "That's not an expression of disgust on his face, Sayuri. And…and we found him clinging to Yu's pillow. He's not acting like your typical demon."

Her expression hardened. "And maybe all that's just that: an act."

Mika sighed and closed the door. "If so, it's one damn good act."

Sayuri took her time processing this. This…was wholly unexpected. She really hadn't believed Asuramaru's earlier statements, not really. They had been shocking, but, on the basic level, she'd just simply not believed them. Like somebody jumping out and saying, "Boo!" More startling than scary.

But now…seeing her friend holding Asuramaru so…there was no other word for it…so _lovingly_ brought it home to her. It was real. It was happening.

Her friend was in love with a Black Demon. The fact that Asuramaru was male made no difference to her.

But a demon!

 _That_ …was a little different.

She turned to Mika. "So…what do you have in mind?"

He shook his head. "Only thing I can come up with is, they have to leave. Get out of here. There's a Protectorate enclave one hundred thirty miles to the east-*"

"Wait," she broke in, "There's another option."

…..

Asuramaru slowly came to a kind of painful, aching consciousness. He was aware that he was somewhere warm, and whatever he was lying in was soft. But there was some sort of rough cloth or something pressed up against his right side. A very soothing scent reached his nostrils…a very familiar scent. One he thought he'd never again experience.

He opened his eyes. Yu, in full, albeit bedraggled, uniform, was lying right next to him, his arm around him, asleep. What? "Y-Yu?" So strengthless was he that he could barely hear his own voice.

But Yu heard, and came instantly awake. "Maru? Are you okay?" He moved away, slightly, giving the demon a bit more room, looking him in the eyes. "How do you feel?"

"Like shit." He could barely draw a breath. "Actually, feeling like shit would be an improvement, right now. I…Yu…I'm sorry for what I did. I didn't realize it would hurt you the way it did. Or, no, I guess, really, I did, but, but…"

"Sh." He pressed his fingers up against the demon's lips. "Don't worry about it, okay? That doesn't matter anymore."

"But it _does_." Asuramaru tried to shift, but was too weak. "I just wanna say I'm sorry for hurting you the way I did." _I truly am._

 _For the first time in my entire life, I'm actually sorry for_ _hurting_ _someone._ "Can…will you forgive me?"

"Maru, don't even start. Of course, I forgive you. I…can't _not_ forgive you."

Asuramaru looked up at him in surprise. "But why? I've been nothing but trouble for you ever since-*"

"I'm not really sure why. But, but, I just know…I care. Okay? I mean, right now, I don't know myself what I'm feeling, but…"

Asuramaru's gaze fell down to Yu's chest, where his hand still lay. "But I know. Yu, you can't be falling in love with me! I'm a _demon!_ You, you shouldn't even be seen with me!"

"If all the reports are right, there's something in me that's worse than any demon. Something nobody fully understands, even yet. _You_ might not wanna be seen with _me._ "

Asuramaru smiled and shifted his arm over Yu, pulling in closer. "I'll risk it." He hitched as close as he could, resting his head on Yu's chest. Then he noticed something. There was an odd bulge in Yu's dress uniform's jacket pocket. Something about it made Asuramaru's demon senses tingle. "What's that in your pocket?"

"Hum? Oh, uh, this?" And he fished out a small box from within. Asuramaru knew Yu _never_ carried anything there; it interrupted the lay of his uniform jacket. "Uh, I, uh…found this the other day, down at the, uh, well. I, uh, well, you know…it made me think of you. I guess it seemed like something you'd like. I just never found the opportunity to, to give it to you."

"To me? You bought something to give to me? Yu…nobody's _ever_ bought anything for me. Ever." And Yu opened the box…

Inside was a pendant on a gold chain. It was a pentagram made of white gold, with a small, very red ruby at its center. "I mean, you know, the ruby, color of blood-* And Asuramaru kissed him. On the mouth. A surprisingly long, luscious kiss.

They broke apart. "I'm sorry," said Asuramaru, shamefacedly. "I-*"

"I'm not," said Yu. And _Yu_ kissed _him._ It took them a longer while to break apart this time. "I…I guess that's what you were feeling, earlier, in the commissary, with me too stupid to realize it…"

But Asuramaru just laid his head on Yu's chest, reaching as far across as the makeshift IV would let him. "Stop insulting the one I love. Otherwise…" Yu couldn't see it, but Asuramaru grinned, lopsidedly. "Well, I _am_ still a demon, you know." Then _he_ sobered. "But what will we do now? I've pretty much made a mess of things here…"

"You're coming with us," said a new, but very familiar voice from the doorway. They both looked up to see the man Yu had known as Lieutenant Colonel Guren Ichinose standing in the door. Except Yu noticed he was wearing two General's stars now.

"S-sir?" It had been a long time.

"Captain." Guren inclined his head. "I understand things have…become a bit complicated here." Yu and Asuramaru could see Shiho Kimizuki, now sporting Captain's bars, behind him in the hallway, his traditional scowl on his face, with Mika standing by. "And," he gestured with his chin towards his stars. "As I'm sure you've noticed, there've been a few changes on my end, too. From necessity, which I'll make clear to you as we go."

"But we are going. You, Captain, are being transferred." He handed Yu a letter. "Orders from the Rose Throne itself." Yu felt Asuramaru start, slightly, in his arms at the mention of the monarch of the Western State. Medics entered the room, unhooking Asuramaru's IV bags from the makeshift racks and getting them ready for transport. "You both are needed." He raised an eyebrow at their startled expressions. Too much was happening too soon. "It's a matter of life and death." He turned back to the door, leaving the medics to complete their task. But just before he did, he said one last thing, something that sent a chill down Yu's spine.

"Of the planet. And maybe the universe, itself."

The End

?


End file.
